


From Zero To Hero

by DeccaTheWolf



Series: The Zeta Chronicles [1]
Category: Alpha and Omega - Lionsgate
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2018-12-26 13:01:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12059496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeccaTheWolf/pseuds/DeccaTheWolf
Summary: Humphrey has been treated as an outcast for most of his life, but when a shadow of his past catches up to him, he might just be the only thing standing between the pack and destruction. But can he face up to the demons of his past?





	1. Chapter 1: Please stay

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first story on this site. I have previously submitted works on fanfiction.net. This is the first story I completed on that site and so I've decided to post it up on here. This is book 1 of a planned trilogy.

It was early morning in Jasper Park, one just like any other, the sun was shining over the valley, the birds were chirping in the trees and the light of the early risen sun reflected off the water pouring over the waterfall like millions of pieces of a broken mirror. Everyone was happy, everyone that is except a certain Grey wolf. "I should've known this day was coming I should've known it would never have worked out between us, I did know but it doesn't mean I was prepared for it." He muttered to himself as he began to climb the slope that led to the pack leaders den, thinking of ways to tell two of his best friends (including the one he loved) he was leaving Jasper, possibly for good.

When he reached the top he found as he expected, Lilly was brushing her sister, Kate's fur. He sat down and coughed to get their attention. "Humphrey w-w-what are you doing here?" Kate asked surprised. A nervous look crossed Humphrey's face. "I-I-I just wanted to say I'm happy for you and Garth..." Humphrey replied, Kate smiled, although awkwardly, she knew that Humphrey was lying to her, but if he wasn't going to disclose it, she wasn't about to press him on the matter, so instead she stepped forwards and embraced him in a quick hug. "Thank you, it means a lot coming from my best friend." The two wolves separated for a while. Humphrey lowered his eyes to his paws whilst Kate averted her gaze to the ground on her right. "And I also came to say goodbye and tell you that I-I-I'm leaving Jasper" Humphrey stammered, for some reason having difficulty getting the words out of his mouth. Kate's eyes widened, she couldn't believe what Humphrey had said and her mind couldn't comprehend him leaving or think of a reason why. "Leaving? Why?" Kate asked, Humphrey sighed. "There's nothing for me here anymore." Humphrey replied. Kate was shocked that Humphrey would say something like that, this wasn't him, this wasn't the easy-going, fun-loving Omega that she had always known. "Of course there is." Kate Protested. "like what? I have no family anymore, I barely have any friends and I have no home." Humphrey argued with a hint of sadness in his voice, he hated saying these words to the first two friends he had ever made in this pack, but he had gone too far to back down now, besides, he told himself that this was for the best, he had to let go to keep moving forward. "You do have friends you have me and Lilly." Kate begged with tears in her eyes. Humphrey made no reply and instead turned away and started walking back towards the slope. Kate couldn't take this anymore, this wasn't her friend, she could tell something was deeply troubling him and couldn't stand to let him suffer in silence. "Would you at least tell me what is wrong." she begged. Humphrey stopped at the top of the slope and turned to face the sisters, for a moment Kate thought he was going to tell her what was troubling him, then he spoke. "I had been meaning to tell you what I was a going to say on the train, but now it doesn't seem to matter anymore. Instead I'll just settle for these parting words. As sad as it is to let things go, nothing can compare to the pain of watching them get torn from you. Our time together feels so brief, I don't like goodbyes, for goodbye feels like forever, but in my heart and mind, you'll always remain" Humphrey lamented before turning around and walking back down the slope leaving Kate crying on the floor.

As Humphrey made his way down the hill at the bottom of the Alpha's den, the gravity of what he had done ate away at him. "This is for the best, it's the way things are, no it's the way things have to be." He told himself over and over in his head, it still didn't stop him feeling regret. He was suddenly stopped when heard a voice call out from behind. "You're not serious are you?" He turned round to see Winston, the pack leader coming down the hill behind him. "Great just what I need now the over protective farther hounding me because I made his daughter cry." Humphrey said to himself.

Winston soon caught up to Humphrey "Be thankful that I managed to stop my mate from coming down to talk to you" he muttered. "I guess I owe him one." Humphrey thought to himself, remembering how protective Eve was when it came to her daughters.

"And why wouldn't I be serious about leaving when there is nothing here for me?" Humphrey asked. "There's nothing for you out there either" Was Winston's reply, with that Humphrey sank down in defeat, as much as he hated to admit it, he knew Winston was right. "I often ask myself what if I had refused? What if I hadn't kept the real me a secret? What if I hadn't hidden my past or my abilities from everyone else? Would things have been different?" Humphrey lamented. "If you hadn't you would probably have grown up an Alpha in the the Eastern pack and be next in line for pack leader with Kate at your side" Winston replied. "Don't remind me." Humphrey retorted, he knew all too well what could have been and he wished that was how things had been. "But you cannot change the past now. Besides, we forced you to hide yourself and become something you weren't for a reason, your sacrifice helped save the pack from a dark shadow of your past." Winston replied, Humphrey flexed his claws in the dirt as he felt anger building up inside of him, he hated all of this, he hated always having to be the martyr, the brave sacrifice, giving up his life for others, only for them to shun him. He was sick of how whenever things finally seemed to be working out for him, fate would come and snatch it all away from him and shove his face in the dirt. First it was...her, then it was his family, his friends and his pack and now it was Kate. He had never wanted any of this, but he had learned from a very young age that life was out to get him and all he could do was get back up every time he was knocked down and hope that someday his luck would change.

After a few moments of quiet Humphrey broke it. "He's still out there you know that right? Still searching, still hunting us down." He stated. "I know, but that is for another time" Winston replied. "Don't be so sure. This ruse will not fool him forever, he will find me eventually, and when he does, no one will be safe. It's for the best that I run, that I lead him away from the pack before any of that happens." Humphrey scoffed. Winston walked over and sat down next to Humphrey. "You're not a pup anymore, I cannot force you to stay if you do not wish to, but please don't leave, at least not yet. Wait till after the ceremony" Winston said. "You think I should?" Humphrey asked, "please, it would mean the world to Kate" Winston begged.

Humphrey sighed in defeat. "Alright I'll stay, but only until after the ceremony and the first hunt of the new pair" Humphrey replied

"Thank you." Winston said, seconds later they heard a voice booming over the park. "WIIIIIIIIIIINSTON! HAVE YOU FINISHED RIPPING OFF HIS TAIL AND SHOVING IT DOWN HIS THROAT YET!". "Aaaaand that's my cue, got to get going, cya around. " said a frightened Humphrey and with that he sped off into the undergrowth.

"WIIIIIIINSTON! GET OVER HERE!" Eve shouted, "wow the power behind that voice" thought an amused and slightly afraid Winston.


	2. The Half-Wolf Returns

"Goodbye Kate goodbye Lilly" Humphrey said before turning around and walking back down the slope leaving Kate crying on the floor after he left she couldn't hold it in anymore "I-I-I can't believe he's really going. And I can't belive I was so blind, he must have be leaving because of this wedding and he was going to tell me how he felt when I jumped from the train" she thought.

Winston was going up to his den to go talk to Kate and make sure she was alright with this whole arranged marriage thing, he hated having to put her through it, but it was his duty as pack leader to look after his pack and keep the peace. When he got to the den he saw Kate crying with Lilly trying to comfort her. "It's okay everything's going to be alright" he heard Lilly say to which was followed by Kate's response "no, no it isn't he's gone, and it's all my fault".

Curious as to what had made his daughter so upset Winston decided to ask them what was wrong, hoping it wouldn't be anything too bad. "Kate, what's the matter?" he asked "it's Humphrey, he's leaving" Kate said between sobs, "What?" Winston asked, wondering if he had heard her right "he was just up here, he told us that he was happy for Kate and Garth and said he was leaving. He said there was nothing here for him anymore" Lilly explained. Winston immediately turned and bounded down the slope after Humphrey. He had always known that Humphrey never felt like he fit in, nor did any of the wolves treat him as such. This alone would be reason enough to leave if it weren't for two things. First was his love for Kate and second was because he was staying under orders from Winston. However, now that he had grown up, Humphrey could no longer be ordered to stay, nor could he be forced to pretend to be someone he wasn't, in a place that he felt he didn't belong. Add in the the arranged marriage and he didn't even have Kate to keep him in place.

Winston knew that Humphrey had probably already made up his mind and that there was little he could do to disuade him, however, he felt at least partially responsible for his ordeal. He had to at least try and persuade him not to leave and find a way to set things right, he owed both Kate and Humphrey that much at least.

Time skip: 9 minutes

Humphrey sat beside a stream alone, attempting to wrap his head around why he had agreed to stay, albeit temporarily. "But you hate it here, everyone sees you as nothing but an orphan, an outcast and there is no way they will see you differently"part of him raged. "But my friends, everything I have left in the world is here, would I really abandon them just like that? after all we've been through. Besides, Winston said that it would mean the world to her if I came, if it makes her happy, then that should be good enough for me." The other side of him argued. "Kate this... Kate that... WHY DO YOU STILL CARE ABOUT HER?" the darker side of him spat. "Because she's my friend, I've known her since we were young and I love her, whether she knows it or not!" Humphrey pointed out, the darkness within him scoffed "You spend all your time running after her like a dumb pup following its mum, you give her everything, you save her life and what has she done for you? She runs off with the first Eastern pack Alpha that asks". "I know she doesn't want this wedding any more than I do, it's not her fault. NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" Humphrey protested. He sank down beside the stream and stared at his reflection in the gently flowing water. The wolf starring back at him bore no resemblance to his former self, the wolf staring back at him was a defeated, orphaned, outcast, lacking all the confidence he had once pocessed, despised by all and held in low regard, even for an Omega. Why did he love Kate? He guessed looking back on his life that it was because she, along with her sister, Salty, Shaky and Mooch were some of the only wolves willing to give him the time of day without attacking him or heaping insults atop him. Sure, she may not have done any especially huge or heroic acts, but she had done enough for him just by being there, whenever he had needed her most, she had always tried to make him feel better and had even stuck up for him when he was being bullied, she brought back memories.

Time skip: 30 minutes

Humphrey sat at the top of the canyon wall, the furthest seat from Kate and Garth's ceremony, he just couldn't put himself any closer. From this lofty position he could see the entire gathering, though he could only tell who was who by the color and location, Garth stood on the ceremonial rock with Tony right beside him, whilst Lilly and Eve sat at the front of the Western pack. After a while he noticed Kate and Winston moving down to join Garth. Humphrey didn't want to go any closer as the ceremony began, it was painful enough watching from up here. "Why do I always have to be the outcast, the unwanted? Why does life have to take away everything I love and hold dear and leave me on the sidelines?" he asked himself as he watched Kate and Garth go through the accepting each other's scents and nibbling each other's ears then just before they were about to touch noses He buried his head in his paws so that he wouldn't have to watch as he waited for the mass of cheering and excited howls that would erupt when the ceremony was complete, but it never came.

"Huh I wonder what's wrong, why have they stopped?" Humphrey thought as he lifted his head off his paws, then he heard it, the sound of thundering hooves, lots of hooves. "oh no" he thought.

"Stampede!" one of the wolves shouted, then the entire valley erupted into chaos with wolves frantically running up the valley sides desperately trying to avoid the wall of thundering death that rounded the corner, even as he watched the chaos, there was only one thought on Humphrey's mind.

"Kate!" Humphrey exclaimed as he started running down the hill, pushing away all thoughts of his own safety, effortlessly jumping, diving and somersaulting over wolves that were in his way. It was no good, the stampede was fast bearing down on Kate, Winston Tony and Garth, he needed to get down faster, as he ran, he came across a half log which gave him an idea. He immediately spun the log round so that it was facing downhill, jumped in and kicked off, he received looks of amazement and disgust from the wolves he passed on the way down. As he reached the valley he turned the log sharply and jumped out. The log and Humphrey were sent rolling over and the log landed near the Alphas, whilst Humphrey landed painfully a short distance away. "Get in" Humphrey yelled at Kate, Garth, Tony and Winston, the former two still looking dumbstruck at what they had just witnessed him do, they quickly broke out of their stupor and made for the log, and non too soon. As soon as they had made it to the log, then the stampede thundered over it, right towards Humphrey. The young Omega now found himself running for his life, he ran faster than he had done for a very long time, even though his body ached from the hard landing earlier. However he couldn't keep it up forever and the Caribou were gaining, he needed to get out of the way. His chance came when he saw a large pile of rocks and boulders lying just to the side, he leaped across right in-front of the raging hooves of the Caribou, just managing to get behind the pile before the Caribou thundered into him. Humphrey sat behind the rocks catching his breath as he hid from the stampede, all of the adrenaline he had possessed in the sprint had left his body and now the pain from his landing had returned. "Phew, haven't done anything like that in a long time, I'm losing my edge" he chuckled to himself between breaths. Slowly the stampede thinned and then it was gone altogether, Humphrey however waited till the last of the dust had settled, then he stepped out of his hiding place. He hurried over to where he had left the Alphas. Upon arriving he found Garth,Tony and Winston emerging from cover whilst Kate lay under the log with a paw on her head and groaning, as soon as he saw her, Humphrey became worried that she had been seriously hurt.

"No, no, no! Kate! I...is she alright?" Humphrey asked Winston. "She's fine, just a little dazed is all. We all would have suffered worse if it wasn't for you, however, I don't want you to ever put yourself in that kind of danger again." Winston scolded, however, he didn't hold back the gratitude either. "Why, why did this happen? Humphrey asked no one in particular "Why did what happen?" Garth asked. "Durr Barf, I mean why did the caribou stampede, they don't just do that for no reason" Humphrey stated as he ran off in the direction the caribou had come from, not waiting for a response. As he ran, his eyes met Tony's who immediately knew what he was thinking.

"Where are you going? You can't be serious, you'll be killed if-" Tony flustered. "That's enough Tony!" Winston interjected forcefully. "Like hell! I'll be dammed if I'm going to let my nephew go off on his own at a time like this!" Tony yelled back at Winston "he can take care of himself, he's no longer a pup" Winston answered.

"Nephew? What do you mean nephew? Humphrey is a Western wolf and has been his whole life" Kate asked, groaning and getting up, not believing that she heard the two old wolves correctly. "no he hasn't, and his names not Humphrey it's De-" Tony started, "SILENCE!" bellowed Winston catching the attention of every wolf except for Humphrey. This time it was Eve's turn to be startled as she and the rest of the wolves stared wide-eyed at Winston "you swore on Fenrir never to utter that word unless the time was right! we all did!" Winston continued "that doesn't change the fact that we're still family and I'm going after him" Tony countered.

Suddenly Salty piped up "we'll go after him!", "we will?" Mooch asked earning him a punch to the shoulder from both Salty and Shakey. "Ouch! I mean we will". "That's better" both Salty and Shakey said quietly amongst the three of them.

Tony sighed as he looked at the three Omegas. He would have preferred to go after Humphrey himself, but he could see that Winston wouldn't let him and Humphrey did trust these three after-all. "Fine but hurry it up you three, and tell him to get back here" Tony said, Salty, Shakey and Mooch then proceeded to dash in the direction that Humphrey had gone, but after a few minutes of running, they slowed to a stop. They had run as fast and as far as they could and they still hadn't caught sight of Humphrey. "Damm! how does he run so fast for so long?" Mooch panted, "and how did he disappear so quickly?" Salty added. "I don't know, but we have to find him" Shakey replied. With that said they began to run again, a couple of minutes later they turned a corner and found Humphrey standing there over a large brown form.

"Hey Humphrey Winston and Tony want you back at the valley now" Mooch said, Humphrey made no reply, nor did he act as though he had heard him at all, the three of them turned to eachother in search of silent council, but none of them could give an answer, so Salty reluctantly stepped forward. "Humphrey bro, are you listening?" Salty asked. "Go!" Humphrey said whilst turning to face them, the look on his face a mixture of sadness, terror and anger. "Go! get outa here now!", "what? No we were told to come and get you!" Shakey protested. "Grrr what was the point of choosing me as leader of the omega's if you aren't going to listen to me, I'm telling you to get out of here for a reason" Humphrey growled quickly looking around as if scared something would leap out of the treeline and attack them. "It's not that, it's just that we have orders from higher up" Shakey protested.

It was at this point Humphrey lost it, he swiped his paw at Salty, making sure not to to hit him with his claws who was knocked into a nearby stump and fell unconscious but was otherwise unhurt. Humphrey hated having to do that, but it was too dangerous for them to stay here and he knew that was the only way he could get them to move. "What the hell did you do that for!" Shaky exclaimed. "I'm sorry, but you had better take him back to the pack. I...I'll be along shortly" Humphrey said, at this both Mooch and Shakey ran back to the valley, Mooch stopping to pick up Salty and haul him onto his back.

Eventually the three of them reached the valley. "What happened to you three and where's Humphrey" Winston asked. "Humphrey refused to come he seemed scared and upset about something and he attacked Salty" Mooch explained, "I'll be right back" Tony growled before starting off in the direction Humphrey was. "Just be careful" Winston called out after him as Tony left.

"I just hope he's okay and that I reach him before something else does. I had hoped that he would be safe here forever, hopefully this is just a coincidence and it isn't what I think it is." Tony thought as he searched for Humphrey. he finally found him in the same spot that the other three had, sitting beside a brown form that on closer inspection was revealed to be a bear. Tony felt his heart sink when he saw the badly mauled bear and knew immediately that it could only mean one thing.

"It's him isn't it? He's back?" Tony asked "know anyone else who would be able to take down a fully grown grizzly?" Humphrey replied "you mean besides you?" Tony said "let me rephrase that. Do you know anyone else who would go out of their way to take on a full grown grizzly and kill it? And who would do it just so they could cause a stampede and break up a wedding in one of the likely places I would be hiding?" Humphrey asked, "unfortunately, no" Tony replied.

After a long pause Humphrey asked "do you think I should tell them?". "We've ordered you to do this for too long, so that's completely up to you. I know you have reservations about revealing who you are after what you've experienced in the past, but remember, the longer you hide the truth, the more they'll hate you when it finally slips out." Tony said ."I know. I guess I will tell them, oh and uncle don't call me Humphrey anymore my name is Decca". Tony turned to go, but was stopped by Humphrey/Decca. "Uncle, there is just one more thing I want to ask you, it's about Kate" He said with new hope in his heart.


	3. A sad past and secrets revealed

It was early morning, so early the sun hadn't even begun to crest the horizon. most of the wolves and the other animals that lived in Jasper park were still asleep safely tucked up in their dens, burrows, nests or holes in the trees, only those animals whose interests were nocturnal and the night patrols were still awake ,although even they were tired and wanted only to rest. But there was one who had no trouble keeping sleep at bay, as his mind was in such turmoil as to make restful slumber impossible. Decca was sitting on top of the ridge of echo canyon still trying to figure out the best way to tell everyone that the Humphrey they knew had been a complicated facade to hide him from those that were still hunting for him. How could he face them and especially Kate, when he had been lying to them their entire lives, even though it was forced upon him and he had had no choice in the matter.

"This is defiantly not going to be easy" Decca thought "how do you tell your best friends that you're not actually their best friend and that they know nothing about you? How do you even start? Oh hi everyone, by the way I've been lying to you for almost six and a half months and you really know nothing about me, only who I've been pretending to be, but it's okay because I'm going to tell you why and then everything will be alright and just exactly like it was". "yea right" He scoffed "Seriously this sucks, why did those two even have to put me in this position? Did they ever think about the effects it would have on me and my life? It's hard enough for me to make friends as it is without this threatening to destroy what few friendships I have. Although I guess that's just my life, having every friend I make being torn from me and being treated as an outcast, just because I'm different." He inhaled deeply and let it out in a long drawn out sigh before he made his way back down to his den which was just below the ridge of the canyon and consisted of a small cave that Decca had found when he first joined the pack, the opposite canyon wall was much lower and so he got glorious views of some of the rest of the pack territory from the ledge. It had been nothing more than a small, oblong hole just below the top of the canyon when he first discovered it. Heaven only knows what it was before he decided to make it his home. If he had to guess, it probably belonged to some type of predatory bird and acted as its nest. however there was nothing living in it when he had found it and he had since widened it and made it his. He paused for a moment on the narrow ledge which led to the mouth of his den before he slowly entered and led down. With a huff, he deposited his head onto his paws and flattened his ears, but when he heard a couple of wolves howling in the distance his ears perked and he lifted his head. "I almost forgot tomorrow is the moonlight howl" he mused as he gazed upon the moon which was fast disappearing over the horizon, his thoughts migrated to howling-rock, the place where the moonlight howl was held once every month under the full moon. He sat there staring at the beautiful sight before him, He liked it here, it was nice, quiet and out of the way of the packs, he thought back to the last time he had properly been to a moonlight howl which was when he was a mere five month old pup "No! I mustn't dwell on the past" he said holding his head as if he had a headache. "might as well try and get some rest before my life is ruined for good" he said as he finally laid his head down and fell asleep.

back at the pack

The sun had finally risen and the wolves had started to wake up. Another peaceful morning just like any other, but today there was a difference, today there was a meeting of the pack leaders, Kate, Garth, Lilly and oddly enough Humphrey. "Why is he supposed to show up he's an Omega. I mean sure so is Lilly technically, but she is the daughter of one of the pack leaders and anyway, she is now mates with Garth which makes her an Alpha or at least entitled to the same rights as one" Kate thought. Maybe after this meeting she would tell Humphrey how she felt, since she had never got a chance to in the week since the packs were united because Humphrey had oddly enough been away with the eastern pack which was at least a day's trip away, even if you were to run the whole length of the trail that connected the two territories. Sure the packs had united but there were only so many places to build dens at the moment, so they decided to simply stay where they were until other arrangements could be made. Humphrey had apparently arrived home from the eastern territory late the night before and she couldn't wait to finally see him again. Seeing as how Tony and Winston had agreed to allow marriage between Alphas and Omegas (with a little persuasion form Humphrey/Decca) maybe now her and Humphrey could be together, just like Garth and Lilly were. Kate also had several questions to ask Humphrey, mostly about what Tony had said. Was it true? Was he really Tony's nephew? She tried asking her father or anybody else who may have known, but she never got any answers, but in light of the events following the stampede, she guessed that it might make sense. Why else would he spend nearly a week in the Eastern Territory?

Decca awoke sometime after dawn to a light cool breeze drifting over him. He was still half asleep when he remembered that he had to attend the meeting and tell everybody the truth, not that he was looking forward to it. He walked out of his den and looked up at the sky, seeing it was just a little before noon "I still have a bit of time before I have to go, maybe I'll get this dust out of my fur" he thought. He had to give Winston credit, telling him to use crushed up rocks to hide his true fur colour was ingenious. He ascended to the top of the canyon and then started walking towards the nearby river, slowly at first, but then he looked up at the sun. "Darn it, it's later than I thought, I had better get moving if I want to get this out in time" he cursed and started running towards the river and jumped right in. "At least the water isn't too cold" he thought as he started to scrub the dust and dirt from his fur that had been there and carefully maintained since he was six and a half months old. "Ugh finally it's been forever since I had a clean coat. I wonder what they'll think of me when they see what my fur really looks like" he thought. The water had washed all the dust out of his fur revealing it to be black on top and his legs with light grey fur on his underbelly, most extraordinary though were the patches of crimson fur on the tips of his paws, ears and tail. Such markings were non-existent in most wolf-packs, at least they had been for a very long time, they were the reminder of a forgotten group of wolves and a forgotten pack. Decca stared down at his true form for a moment, his gaze wandering to the right side of his face, where the water had also revealed the three scars that ran down across his right eye. He knew that he was lucky that had not been blinded by the incident, and even more so that he had managed to escape with his life. There weren't many who managed to escape when that wolf decided that he wanted them dead. He shook himself out of such dark recollections and stepped out of the river. He paused for a moment on the river bank and shook his fur dry and proceeded up to the pack leaders den. He had to admit that he wasn't that comfortable walking around like this, if he encountered any wolves on his way up to the meeting, he wasn't sure how they would react, as if to test his theory, he was stopped by a Beta. "What do you think you're doing up here? Oh, who are you? I haven't seen a wolf with black fur around here before" the Beta asked getting into a combat stance "Who I am doesn't matter, I'm here because I have things to discuss with Winston" Decca replied "YOU!, what would Winston want with you, I bet your lower than an Omega aren't you?" the Beta sneered. He tried to keep calm, but when the Beta threw out another insult, this one aimed at his mother, Decca lost it. He growled and tackled the Beta to the ground, pressing down on his throat with his paw. "That's enough both of you" a voice from behind them said causing Decca to get off the Beta who sat up and averted his eyes due to the humiliation when he realized it was Winston who had spoken. "What this wolf says is true I do have things to discuss with him" Winston confirmed, the Beta nodded and slinked off to nurse his wounded pride. "It's good to finally see you again Decca" Winston said, turning back to Decca. "you too Winston" Decca replied, "let's get going you have a lot to explain, especially to Kate" Winston said "don't remind me" Decca retorted causing Winston to let loose a chuckle, then they started walking up towards Winston's den. When they reached the den Winston whispered to Decca "good luck Decca, everything will be fine, I'm sure everyone will understand and treat you no different" "that's comforting, well here goes nothing" Decca thought sarcastically as he made his way over to the others.

Kate and the others had been assembled and waiting for almost half an hour already. Winston had gone to go and get Humphrey whilst they waited."That's strange what could be so important that my dad would need to get him for, I mean he's an Omega, if there's something important to say he should say it before Humphrey get's here. Shouldn't he?" Kate thought. they waited another few minutes before anyone could be seen near the entrance, but what they saw shocked them all. there, standing beside their father was a wolf who resembled Humphrey, but was of the wrong color, and bore scars over his right eye.

Decca felt small beneath their astounded gazes as he and Winston walked into the den and slowly made their way over to where the others were gathered. He could tell they were all surprised from the shocked expressions on their faces, except for Eve who already knew who he was and Tony who just wore his regular old smile which quickly turned into a smug smirk when Humphrey sat next to him.

"Um...Hey everyone" Humphrey/Decca said, a small "Hi" was all everyone else in the den could manage at the time. Garth was the first to snap out of his shock "is that really you, Humphrey?" he asked "yes and no" was all he got as a reply. "Wow! he looks amazing!" both Kate and Lilly thought, "I never knew an Omega could look so handsome or cute" Kate thought with a blush. "So, what did you call us here for dad?" Lilly asked. "Actually it wasn't me, it was Humphrey" Winston replied. "Him! He's just a stupid Omega!, how does he have the right to call an alpha's council meeting!" Garth shouted. "Now Garth, that's no way to talk to your cousin. Especially when he out ranks you" Tony spoke up, at this Garth looked at his farther like he was going crazy. "out ranks me? How? I'm an Alpha he's an Omega! O-m-e-g-a! How does he out rank me?" Garth exclaimed. "simple. I'm not an Omega I'm a Zeta." Humphrey replied.

As soon as Humphrey said that everyone looked at him confused. "What the hell is a Zeta?" Kate asked. Humphrey looked at Winston as if asking a silent question. "Go ahead Decca, tell them your story, all of it" Winston said. Decca nodded then turned back to others. "If you want answers then you must listen to me, no interrupting, and no questions. I'll explain as much as I can to the best of my knowledge. Agreed?" he said, "fine" answered the rest of the assembled wolves.

Decca inhaled deeply and let it out in a sigh. "Now where to begin?" he said.

"I guess I should start off by telling you that my real name isn't Humphrey, it's Decca and as I stated before, I am a Zeta. Zeta is not only a rank, it is a species of wolves, the last descendants of the dire wolves that once roamed these lands. Zetas are larger, faster, stronger and more attuned to our surroundings than normal wolves. The Zetas used to live in small family groups, or clans among the normal wolf packs, however, because of how much power we represented, it was decided it was best that we leave the Alpha's to lead the packs, we then retreated into the mountains and formed our own pack, only having limited contact with anything outside of our territory. And there we stayed. The Zeta's trained their pups from the time they could walk how to hunt, how to fight and if necessary, how to kill. Any one of us alone could take on a bear and win however only three of us have been able to take on a grizzly and survive. One of them was the founder, the second was my farther and the last one is... me, well mine was more a fluke survival than actually fighting it and winning but I digress. Anyway, as for where I come in to the story. My Farther was the leader of the Zeta pack and he found my mother who was Tony's sister injured near the pack boarder, he took her in and nursed her back to health, he fell in love with her and I was born, part Zeta, part normal wolf, a half-breed. I never even got to finish my training, my family, my friends, the entire pack was killed"

Flashback

Three pups played around in their den whilst their mother watched them with a smile on her face, but she could not escape the nagging feeling that calamity was imminent. She did not know why her nerves were on the fritz, but even normal activities put her on a razor's edge. As was consistent with every other day, her mate was out serving the pack and the three pups played around in their den, but she watched them with great scrupulosity, almost as though the horrible incident she feared somehow involved them. Sure only one of them was her pup, but that didn't mean she didn't love all three of them equaly. Each giggle or snarl cut into her like a knife, and each time one of them was pinned to be "killed" her paws trembled a little more violently, until finally she couldn't stand anymore. "Alright you three, that's enough! Knock it off!" She yelled. Their mother's sudden outburst shocked the pups and their folly immediately ended. Slowly they untangled themselves from each-other and sat apart from one another staring at the ground guiltily, almost as though they had done something wrong. Their mother realized immediately what she had done and she sighed. "I'm sorry, you didn't do anything wrong, I shouldn't have yelled, I'm just a little bit on edge" she apologized. One pup lifted his eyes to speak, but suddenly they heard growling and snarling coming from outside the den, making the pups panic. "Stay here I'm going to see what's going on out there" the mother said to her pups who had looks of fear on their faces. She hadn't even made it out of the den when her mate Scarl came in, blood dripping from his muzzle and caked on his claws. "What's going on out there? By Fenrir! are you alright?" she asked her Mate when she saw the state he was in. She then saw the savage look in his eye and her blood turned to ice. She didn't even have time to warn her pups before she was on her back with the wolf tearing at her throat."Muuum!" the pups screamed standing there in shock at seeing their own mother killed right in front of them, It was Decca who recovered first and instinctively stood in front of his older brother and sister, preparing to fight to the death to defend them. "Good Decca, you're making it easier. You are tainted, weak. First I cleanse you, then I'll get rid of your brother and sister." The pup's farther said. "If you want them you're going to go through me." Decca growled, he then whispered to his two siblings. "You two make a run for it, I'll hold him off" He said. "Decca don't, you'll be killed." his sister argued. "Better me than you two. If one of us doesn't distract him, then we've all had it." Decca replied. Scarl uttered a soft, evil laugh. "Very well Decca, I had thought that you would be smarter than this, but if you want to fight it out then very well." There was a growl, then in a flash, Scarl leaped at Decca and pinned the young pup up against a wall, however, he then noticed the other two pups moving past him and slid round to the entrance to cut them off, letting go of Decca who slid to the floor coughing. Scarl seemed to have them trapped, but Decca wasn't finished quite yet. He struggled to his paws and leaped at his farther who noticed him and dodged his attack, leaving a gap between him and the entrance of the den. Decca's twin brother and sister both ran out through the gap that their farther had made dodging their younger brother's attack. Scarl was about to run out after them when he felt a stabbing pain behind him, he turned around and found Decca had grabbed his tail in his jaws, and was biting down hard. Scarl roared in rage and swiped his paw at his son, knocking him into the den wall and causing Decca to involuntary whimper in pain that echoed across the valley, the young pup was left with three deep gashes down the side of his face. Scarl watched the youngest pup for a few seconds, then satisfied that Decca was never going to get up, Scarl then turned and went out to see if he could try and locate the other two pups. Decca watched his farther walk towards the entrance of the den and tried to get up but his efforts were in vain and eventually his world went black.

End of Flashback

"When I woke up I found my uncle, Tony in our den crying over the dead body of his sister. I was still only a young pup, six months old and already I had lost everything I had ever known and everything I cared about. After he heard my story Tony decided it was best for me to live in the Weston pack. It was a deal that had already been agreed to with my mother and Winston, in case anything happened to her and my farther, my mother arranged for me, my brother and sister to go and live in the Western pack so that we would be safe. I was forced to live the rest of my life as an Omega, put on a cheery face every day, take other wolve's insults and just deal with it. Then it just so happened Kate that I met you and Lilly, I no longer had to pretend to smile and be happy, though I did still have to pretend to be an Omega, which I hated, but had no choice in doing. It still was never enough though, I could never fully forget who I was and what had happened that fateful day, I never really did feel like I fit in around here and I couldn't stop thinking about what happened to my brother and sister and wondering where they were and if they were happily living a new life in another pack somewhere. That is why I never went to any of the moonlight howls, instead I would go to echo canyon alone and just sit there howling at the moon for all the things I lost and all the things that would never be" He finally finished, and a silence fell over the den, "you can ask me any questions and tell me how much you hate me any time now".

"So that's how you were able to pull off all of those moves I could never even dream of, let alone pull off?" Garth asked. "Yep, sure is!" Decca exclaimed, returning to his old self for just a moment. "That's awful" was all Lilly managed to say without breaking down right there. "So why are you telling us this now , what's so important about this that you're only telling us now?" Kate asked. "Well that's the bad news" Tony said , "what do you call what Humph...I mean Decca just told us?" Lilly asked astonished, "a tragic story" Winston explained. "So what's the bad news?" Garth asked, "my brother-in-law, Decca's farther, is back, he's the one that caused the stampede a week ago" Tony explained, "we can only assume that he's caught on to the fact that at least one of those that he is hunting down is hiding here and so has come to finish what he started" Winston concluded. "Wha...What are we going to do?" Lilly asked nervously, " we start preparations to defend the packs from any possible attack tomorrow, but for now just relax and enjoy the moonlight howl" Winston said. "But what about Scarl? If he's out there with unknown intent, he could hurt somebody. We should warn everyone" Garth said, "we do not know if he is still around, besides, the last thing we need is to create a pack-wide panic" Winston explained. With that everyone started to leave. Kate got up to go, Decca tried talking to her but didn't get a single response. "Kate look I know you must be upset, but please try to understand that if it had been up to me, I never would have hidden the truth from you in the first place, I had no choice. Tony and Winston with some help from my dad practically forced this..." Decca started. "UPSET!" Kate shouted. "Upset! doesn't even begin to cover it. you lied to me for six and a half months, how else do you expect me to act. And don't even try telling me you had no choice, your secret would have been safe with me!". With that she stormed off, leaving Decca there hanging his head in shame.

Tony noticed his nephew was upset and went over to talk to him. "So, now what are you going to do?" he asked. "Me? I've finally plucked up the courage to tell everyone my real story and successfully lived my life as an Omega, I don't know about you but I'm going to celebrate at the moonlight howl" Decca replied. "Still a wolf at heart I see?" Tony observed. "Besides, who knows? Kate might show up, even if she doesn't want to see me again, I can at least try and hope for the best." Decca added. "You never give up do you?" Was Tony's sly comment. "Nope." Was Decca's simple retort.


	4. Friendly Advice.

Decca awoke from the short nap he had decided to take before the howl. He could tell by the position of the sun and the lengthening shadows that it was getting late and soon wolves would start arriving at howling rock. "I've still got time before the howl perhaps I'll go and wash up again" Decca thought, after-all, if he wanted to have any hope of winning Kate back, he needed to look his best.

Decca slowly made his way up to the River to clean up even more, "I know I've already bathed before but hey I'm trying to get a howling partner so why not" he asked himself "besides, it's not like another bath is going to kill me". He made it to the river and found a still pool of water near an outcropping of rock that caused the water to swirl round it almost like a whirlpool. Decca broke off a branch before getting into the water, it was cold but Decca had all ready gotten used to cold, as he had been born and raised in the northern mountains, where it was below freezing for most of the year. Using the branch Decca scrubbed off any remaining dirt and dust particles before stepping out, his coat gleaming and shimmering in the moonlight.

On his way back, Decca was suddenly stopped when a small stone came whizzing past, almost hitting him on the head. He looked over in the direction the stone had come from and found Marcel and Paddy deep in conversation, as soon as they noticed him standing there, staring at them, they both gulped. "Marcel, Paddy, would you please be more careful, or at least warn someone when you're about to send one of those flying" Decca said, "umm...yes, of course. Who are you?" Marcel asked. "Guys, it's me Humphrey" Decca replied, "Humphrey? But you look so...so different, not that there is anything wrong with that" Marcel exclaimed. And so Decca told the duck and goose duo everything he had told the others about his life. "And how has mademoiselle Kate taken this news?" Marcel asked, Decca dropped his head in shame, remembering Kate's final words that even now stung like a bullet passing through him. "I...in truth, she hasn't taken it very well...I don...I don't know, I guess I just hoped that she would understand why I did what I did" Decca explained with a sigh. Marcel and Paddy looked at each other for silent council and then back at Decca, "listen, if what you told us is true, then you had little choice in what you did, everyone reacts to news at different rates and have their own ways of dealing with it. You cannot tell someone something like this and expect them to be able to come to terms with it instantly. If you give Kate a day or two, then I'm sure that she will realize that you did what you did because that was the right course of action" Marcel said. Cheering up a little and feeling more confident from Marcel's advice that he could indeed make things right with Kate, Decca thanked the two birds who immediately went searching for the rock that Marcel had almost hit him with, he watched them leave before he continued on his own way.

Finally Decca reached his den and looked around. At one time long ago, he had been proud of what he had made it into, it may not have been much, but it was his and he had done it all himself. Now however, the den looked small and bare, a stark contrast to what he had thought of it as when he was younger, he could swear that since Kate and him had been taken to Idaho, that it had grown smaller. He wondered whether it was worth it to stay here or try and move somewhere else. He decided to move as whilst this den held so many memories and had taken him ages to dig out, it was small and it was difficult to get to. Sure it big enough for him (only just), but it certainly wasn't somewhere to bring back a potential mate, or even raise a family for that matter. "Besides a change of scenery couldn't hurt" Decca thought to himself, he already knew the perfect place, a place that he had stumbled onto almost by accident. He turned around, climbed to the top of the canyon and started walking towards his destination. "Kate is going to love it" he thought, just a little way below howling rock there was a large concealed ledge that he was certain only he knew about and sitting on the ledge, one got a beautiful view looking over the entire valley. When he got there Decca wasted no time in digging out a large den in the side o the hill, it took him till near sunset, but he finally finished it. Once he had finished he stepped back to admire his handiwork "If only they were here to see this" Decca thought to himself, he then growled and shook his head as if trying to get rid of something that was clinging to his fur. "NO! I need to stop thinking about that! It won't bring them back...It won't bring her back" he said sadly to himself.


	5. Chapter 5: A trip to Decca's past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I know it has been a while since I posted the last chapter and I apologize for that, the next one will come out sooner, anyway, here it is, so enjoy

*Wolves howl in the background*

"Hey no fair Sasha! Wait up!" a six month old black furred pup yelled. "Wait up? Decca you could outrun half the adults, why do I have to wait for you?" Sasha asked, she was older than Decca and was also larger, she had dark grey fur on her back and a light grey underside, the rest of her were different shades of grey or black, she had silvery-grey fur coming down from the top of her head and over her right eye (other than the fur colour and the differences in personality, she was almost a spitting image of Lilly). Decca though wished that she would wear her fur back every now and then because her eyes, wow they were the best bit about her, they were a deep violet colour and when he stared into them, he couldn't break his trance no matter how much he tried.

"I may be able to out-run them, but that's only when I'm not carrying dinner... by myself." Decca replied. Both him and Sasha were out on their own as it was a long standing Zeta tradition that when the pups reach the age of five months, for three weeks they would live alone with their betrothed in a special area. Yes betrothed, another tradition states that when the pups reach the age of two months, their closest companion of the opposite gender would then become their intended. Unlike the other packs that chose mates based on alliances and politics with other packs the Zeta's paired based on teamwork and friendship. "I mean honestly, just because you made the killing blow, doesn't mean you can slack off on the way back. I was the one who chased it down." Decca said whilst dragging the meat behind him. "Oh quit your complaining, you're just upset cause I stole your kill and saved you" Sasha retorted jokingly. "But Sasha, I told you to stay away, where it was safe, you could have been killed when that patch of soft snow crumbled." Decca replied looking crestfallen. "W..what would I have done if I had lost you? what would I have told the pack?" He asked. Sasha, seeing that she needed to cheer him up, leapt on top of Decca, knocking him over and causing him to drop the meat he was carrying. "What did you do that for?" Decca exclaimed as Sasha started trying to tickle him. "Decca, you need to lighten up, we're finally alone out here, away from the pack and those that treat you like you're worthless and now you keep acting as though every blade of grass is attempting to kill me. Just please, try and enjoy yourself a little and stop being so paranoid." Decca raised his eyes to Sasha's, "I'll try" he said.

-five minutes later-

They were now nearing the den that they had been calling home for the last two and a half weeks. It consisted of a dug out tree stump that was mostly protected from the rain.

They were just finishing up an argument they had started on the way back, really nothing more than playful banter to help pass the time. as soon as they got into the den Decca finally put down the meat consisting of one of the caribou's legs; one leg because they were still only young pups and it would be too heavy otherwise, besides they could always get the rest tomorrow, if it was still there that was, what with all the scavengers around. As they ate they continued their petty squabble, sending biting remarks back and forth. Was this normal for pups their age?. The answer is no, but then again these weren't normal pups, no, he was the top male pup in his class. a prodigy, never before seen was one as skilled and deadly as he. Not even his own farther could match his talent and prowess, as he was only five months old and wasn't even halfway through his training but already he could do even the most complex moves with surprising speed and agility, even though he wasn't a pure Zeta at all and was half Zeta, half timber wolf, "a half-breed" as the rest of the pups took great delight in reminding him. And she, the top female pup of her class, both the most beautiful and deadly female they had seen since the packs founder.

"And to think I have to spend the rest of my life with you" Sasha continued with a grimace bordering on a smirk. "Like you're complaining, well...I know I'm not, heh-heh. Give it a couple more years and you'll be able to make a guy drop dead with your looks...damm I'm lucky" Decca countered, knowing that she would feel obliged to pay him a compliment in return. "Yes, yes you are! and don't forget it...and I guess you're not too bad yourself, you've got the looks I'll give you that" Sasha replied "You forgot to mention cunning like a fox and strong as a bear!" Decca exclaimed looking uncharacteristically smug with himself. "Well cunning as a fox I'll give you, but although you may be able to beat one, you're nowhere near as strong as a bear" Sasha offered, "well thanks for the vote of confidence" Decca said deflated. "Awww, don't worry I'm sure my best friend will protect me Sasha soothed albeit sarcastically. "Why do I get the feeling your mocking me?" Decca asked cautiously, "ohh, no reason, but you can forget what I said about cunning like a fox" Sasha teased.

"Well whatever, I'm tired after chasing that caribou on my own, I think I'm going to go to bed so that I can get up early and try to catch us some birds or fish" Decca stated as he made his way to the back of their den where they slept. "Okay, I'll be there soon" Sasha said as she turned back to look up at the moon, "whether there be Gods or Devils out there, to whoever caused this, thank you... for Decca. I know that many think of him as an abomination, an accident that never should have been, if that is true, then I'm still glad for him and I hope that some day the rest of them are able to see him for who he is, not what he is." she said as she turned round and headed back into the den and lay down next to Decca, causing him to move closer to her, putting one paw over her back and resting his head on her shoulder. "Good night Sasha" he said "good night Decca" she replied, "good night my Decca/Sasha" they both thought at the same time.

-Time skip two days-

Decca climbed the rocky mountainside as he searched for his quarry. What was he searching for? He was looking for some oddly shaped leaves that Sasha loved. She had accidentally hurt him yesterday and called him a half-breed and hadn't forgiven herself since, nor did she seem to realise that he had forgiven her, she had even refused to come into the den and slept outside, so Decca slept outside with her. He had woken up early that morning to try and get together the best meal he possibly could to prove to her that he had forgiven her. As this was the last day they would be together before they went back to the pack he wanted everything to be perfect for her, after all they were to become engaged the next day (of course they wouldn't officially become mates until they had finished Zeta training, when they became eighteen months/one and a half years old). Decca knew without a shadow of a doubt that he truly loved Sasha. He had known since they first met how he felt about her, although back then he hadn't fully understood it, he only hoped that she loved him back and wasn't just marrying him because she felt obliged to, or that she felt sorry for him (this was another important aspect of Zeta tradition, both partners had to love each-other and agree to the marriage). As he thought about this he realized he had come to the spot that he had last seen the leaves, he couldn't understand how she thought the mixture of meat and leaves tasted good, but he decided he would try it for her. Quickly grabbing some of the leaves and the rabbits he had caught earlier that day Decca made his way back down the mountain. About halfway down, not far from the site of their den, he picked up the scent of blood, not caribou blood but wolf blood. "Sasha!" he thought as he dropped everything he had been carrying and rushed back to the den, praying to Fenrir that Sasha would be alright and that there would be nothing to worry about. on the way, the storm that had been threatening for so long finally broke, thunder boomed, lightning flashed and it started to rain.

Decca rushed into the den and what he saw horrified him, there was blood everywhere, no matter where he turned his gaze fell upon nothing but red and there were so many scents mixed around that he couldn't tell who exactly the blood belonged to. Worse still, he couldn't find any trace of Sasha, normally he was calm and collected in any kind of situation, but with Sasha's life on the line, he fell into a state of panic. He ran through the forest in the pouring rain, calling out her name and desperately trying to find some clue as to where she had gone. Decca finally picked up her scent, along with a multitude of others on an old deer trail. Decca desperately followed her scent as fast as he could, however, he wasn't fast enough and the heavy rainfall washed it away, it seemed like all hope had been lost, but then Decca heard a voice calling out his name, a voice that belonged to Sasha. Like a wolf possessed, he fought his way through the deluge, stopping every now and then to call for her and get her reply. Eventually he found himself at an enormous river that was still gorging itself on the heavy rainfall...a flash flood had begun! And there right in the middle of it, hanging onto a log wedged in-between two boulders was Sasha.

"Sasha!" Decca yelled,getting Sasha's attention, "Decca help me" she called, suddenly cracks started to appear in the log which was starting to bend. Looking around Decca spotted some vines, without thinking of the risks or his own safety, he grabbed one and leapt into the river swimming over to where Sasha was. Suddenly the current built up and knocked into a large pile of boulders, dislodging some and causing several rocks to tumble into the river, one landed on Decca's tail trapping him. "Decca!" Sasha yelled as he was sucked underwater by the current and he smashed against the bottom. The blow was so devastating that it sucked all of the air out of his lungs and he instinctively gasped, but began to cough as water filled his lungs. Kicking up with all his might, he managed to re-surface, but the current was dragging him down again. Decca was desperately struggling to keep his head above the water and get free when he heard Sasha yell "Decca hurry!", he turned round and saw that the log was about to break, in those final moments, time seemed to slow down. "Decca" Sasha whispered one last time before the log shattered. Decca watched helplessly as she was pulled under by the currents and washed away, "NO!, Saaashaa!" he yelled as he finally broke free. He had failed her, he had done the very thing that he dreaded most and let her die. Everyone was right, he was worthless, if only he had stayed with her instead of going hunting, if only he hadn't gotten stuck trying to rescue her, if only he wasn't so useless, if only he wasn't part wolf. Decca slowly made his way back to the den and cried himself to sleep.

*Wolves howl in the background*


	6. Chapter 6 Howling partner

Decca brushed his troublesome thoughts aside and set his mind on more productive matters. If he was going to win Kate's heart back, he had to be quick like a snake, cunning like a fox, but as subtle as the breath of a gentle, spring day. He knew that Kate was probably still pissed at him, and she had every right to be, so if he came back into this too quickly, he would blow it completely and he may as well kiss his dreams of eternal happiness goodbye. He did not want that to happen. He knew already what it was like to lose all too well. For once in his life he would like to know how it felt to win, to feel what it was like for everything to go in your favor. With a sigh, he turned his eyes up to the top of the Howling Rock. He was so deeply laced in uncertainty that he was beginning to have second thoughts about coming out here, but he knew that if he let this opportunity go, he would regret it for the rest of his life. He had to make her listen to him somehow. He had to.

Decca ventured up the slope to the base of Howling rock, preparing for the moment that would make or break his life. He suddenly remembered that he had arranged to meet up with the other Omega's earlier that day and was meeting them there."Great, this is going to be fun, can't wait to see how they react to this" he thought to himself, part of him wanting to run off and spend the night alone again or sneak past them, but he knew there was no worming his way out of this. Coming up to the spot where he said he would meet the Omegas, he noticed Lilly was among them. As soon as she noticed Decca, she called out to him. "Decca! I almost didn't recognize you". Seeing that he might as well get it over with, he went over to where Lilly and the others were sat. "Hey Lilly" Decca replied. "Wait Lilly, do you know this guy?" Salty asked confused. "Yea, who is this guy? I swear he looks familiar, almost like..." Mooch started before Shakey butted in. "Like Humphrey, but with weird coloured fur. That reminds me, where is Humphrey? He was supposed to meet us here". Decca felt his nerves become more and more on edge as his friends' looks of confusion bored into him. Lilly took some time to answer, wondering whether she should tell a lie or come out with the truth, Decca's pleading look however told her that he wanted to tell them himself. "Um...Of course I know him, this is..." Lilly started. "I am Humphrey" Decca finished, the three omegas cocked their heads to the side in confusion as they stared at him before all three burst into laughter, Humphrey looked to Lilly for counsel, but she could only shrug. "Oh, that's a good one. Did Humphrey put you up to this? But seriously. Who are you and where's Humphrey?" Salty asked. "Yea, he said he was going to meet us here" Shakey agreed.

"Listen, I am Humphrey, just not the Humphrey you know. I'm the same wolf that you've been running around with for six and a half months, the only difference between then and now is the colour of my fur." Decca pleaded. Silence fell between them for a moment before Salty spoke, "Okay, man. So tell me this, if you really are our friend and you're not messing around, then why did you hide who you were?". Decca sighed. "My real name is Decca, I am a Zeta wolf, or at least half Zeta which is a kind of wolf that used to inhabit every place where there was a normal pack, but now only exists in fairy tales and legends around here. I was born on half-pike peak which was the territory of my pack. my mother was Tony's sister, a normal wolf and my father was the leader of the Zeta pack. When I was a pup, almost the entire pack was murdered and I barely escaped with my life, these scars on my eye are a painful reminder of what happened that day. Luckily I was found and rescued by Tony before I froze to death. To protect me from those that still hunted me, I was to change my name and appearance, what you saw before was merely a cloak of dust and dirt, this is the real me. Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was lie to any of you, however I had little choice."

"So, you mean to tell us that our friend Humphrey never existed?" Shakey asked. "Yes and no. Whilst it is true that a lot about Humphrey was made up, my personality and our friendship was real. You guys meant everything to me and you helped me overcome more than you could imagine" Decca replied. The three omegas went silent for a few seconds as they processed what Decca had just told them, a few seconds that seemed like an eternity to Decca. Decca waited in great suspense for somebody to say something, and his apprehension only grew as he saw Mooch, Salty, and Shakey nod in order then turn to him. "Wolf pile!" they shouted as the three omegas piled on top of Decca, pinning him. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?" Decca asked hopefully. "Of course" Salty said as though the idea of Decca not being forgiven was stupid.

"Hey, by the way Lilly, what are you doing here? I thought you would be with Garth" Decca asked. "He couldn't make it, something about preparing for...Uhh well, you know" Lilly replied, glancing at the other Omega's nervously, unsure if they were allowed to know. "Personally I think he's still nervous about his howling skills". "Well I would be too, if I sounded like him" Salty joked, the other two doing impressions of Garth howling, earning them a glare from Lilly. Decca nudged the three wolves into each other to get them to shut up. "ow, what was that for?". "Come on guys, and girl, enough fighting it's time to enjoy the night, speaking of which...Lilly, is Kate going to show up tonight?" Decca asked. "I doubt it, she's still kind of murderously pissed at you Decca." Lilly replied, Decca sighed "well we can't always get what we want".

The five of them started off up the path, along the way they saw Rebecca and Janice at which Shakey's face practically lit up. "see you guys later, I'm gonna ask Rebecca to howl with me, wish me luck" he said as he ran over to the vegetarians, "he's gonna need it" Mooch whispered to his friends who immediately started laughing.

-Five minutes later-

it was five minutes into the howl and everybody had a partner for the howl (even Salty had managed to get a date with a Beta, which was surprising given that his only pickup line was "Hey"), that is everybody except Decca, no matter what he did he couldn't find someone to howl with him. Lilly had offered to stay with him, however he thanked her, but said that he didn't want to spoil the night for her and that he would be ok on his own. Which was where he was now. "I guess it's because they don't trust me" Decca said to himself, after all it was only to be expected as no one had seen him before now, his fur colour and the scars over his right eye didn't help either. He was about to give up and go to his den when he saw Kate walking up the path with Cando behind her. Decca walked up to Kate and was about to apologize and ask if she would howl with him before Cando interrupted. "First howl's mine" he growled "alright, there's no reason to get angry" Decca replied "I'll just wait until you two have finish-", "and every howl after that" Kate interrupted. Decca couldn't believe what he had just heard "What?". "And. Every. Howl. After. That. Do I have to spell it out for you?, I'm not going to howl with you now, or ever!" Kate shouted spitefully. "Kate, I-" Decca started before Kate interrupted again "No! No more excuses! I've had enough of you, I hate you, you stupid half-breed freak! Just stay away from me, don't look at me or even think of me again!. Come on Cando, let's go!" and with that she stormed off, Cando following close behind.

Decca sighed "cya later Kate" before turning around and starting to walk back down the path with his head hung low and his ears flattened against his skull. Suddenly he heard a voice from behind, "I'll howl with you Decca", "no thanks, I think I'll just turn in for the night" Decca replied, not even realizing that whoever it was knew his name. "What's this? I don't see you for one and a half years and when I finally find you and offer to howl with you, you just go and reject me? That's not very nice is it?" the voice remarked. Decca recognized those comments and the voice that belonged to them, he slowly turned round to see if he was correct and not just imagining it, what he saw made him lost for words. "What's wrong Decca?, Flea got your tail?" she asked, there standing only a few feet away was none other than...


	7. Chapter 7: The Howl

"Sasha?" Decca asked not believing what his eyes were seeing, Sasha giggled. "I see you certainty haven't grown any smarter in six and a half months, who do you think it is?" This comment was all that was needed for Decca to confirm it was Sasha, tears sprung up into his eyes and he immediately ran up to Sasha, embracing her and started crying into her fur, not out of sadness, but out of pure joy of seeing someone who he had for so long thought lost. Sasha was normally one of strong will. In fact, she had only really cried a few times before, one being when she almost lost her life half a year ago. Yet now as she felt Decca's paws around her and his tears stained her fur, Sasha felt her own eyes become heavy with water. Sasha was surprised when Decca started laughing, "what's wrong?" she asked with a look of confusion. "It's just...This! And you! And you're here! And you're alive!" Decca exclaimed, still laughing excitedly like a young pup playing in the snow. Sasha tried to stifle a laugh, but found herself unable to, nor could she resist getting back into her usual habit, after all, it had been a while. "Your powers of perception are matched by none" she said mockingly. Decca chuckled. "Honestly, Sasha, after all this time I think you would spare me your teasing." Decca stated through a laugh, Sasha giggled at Decca's retort. "but if I didn't tease you, how else could you know it was really me?" she replied. Decca smiled, even after all this time, Sasha was still the same kind, gentle, wise-cracking and beautiful pup that he had fallen in love with. As memories of the past resurfaced, Decca started to tear up again. "I've missed you so much" he said through tears of happiness at seeing her alive and well. "I've missed you too, you big crybaby" Sasha teased, then she suddenly started to get all nervous and dropped her gaze to the ground. "but back to my previous question, will you howl at the moon...with me?" For a moment Decca was shocked, Sasha had just asked him to howl with...her, he eventually broke out of his shock. "Of course I'll howl with you, why wouldn't I?" he replied, Sasha seemed a bit shocked at his response but quickly snapped out of it and got into a playful position with a large grin on her face."Hey Decca, race you to top" she challenged with a mischievous smile. "You're on!" Decca replied without hesitation, it had been too long since he had been able to do anything like that with Sasha and if he had anything to do with it, he was going to make up for lost time.

Both wolves bent low to the ground and prepared themselves."3..2..." Sasha shouted as she raced off up the slope taking Decca by surprise and shoving him to the side. Decca however quickly recovered and went sprinting after Sasha. "No fair Sasha! I wasn't ready!" he complained as he caught up to Sasha. "Oh come on Decca, you should know by now that I don't play fair" Sasha stated, "yea, but cheating? That's kind of low isn't it?" Decca retorted as he slid in beside her. "Who's cheating? It is my duty to gain every possible advantage I can get and make sure the opponent cannot find any advantage" Sasha replied, mimicking one of their instructors from Zeta training. "The problem with that Sasha is that you're facing me, I already know your strengths and weaknesses off by heart and if that's the way you're playing it, then allow me." Decca said as he leaped up onto a ledge running parallel with the path they were racing up, he then leaped off again, landing directly in-front of Sasha and he continued running. Sasha smiled as she watched him run and found that a spark which he had once struck inside of her long ago was beginning to reignite. He was such an amazing wolf, both inside and out. If she let him get away from her, she would be the stupidest wolf alive. There were several other wolves who were on their way up howling rock and they were blocking Decca and Sasha's path. Without missing a single step, he juked around two of them, jumped over a third one and then used the wall of rock on one side of them to propel himself over the last two. Sasha followed, but in a means which was not nearly as complex, and as she landed on the other side of him, she realized that he had put even greater distance between them. "Oh come on! Now you're just showing off!" Sasha complained, Decca chuckled "yea, look who's talking, you show off so much that I've come to appreciate being able to do the same any chance I get" he replied.

Sasha turned on the after burners in one final attempt to catch him, but she soon realized that he was too far ahead, so she slowed down to a moderate pace and once she neared the top, she finished at a jog."Well, it's about time you showed up. I was afraid you'd gotten lost." Decca boasted proudly. Sasha slowed to a stop then stood beside Decca with her head held low and panted. Then, after a moment, she took in a deep breath of collection and turned to him."Yeah, yeah. I let you win." She murmured. Decca let out a laugh "Sure you did. That's the one thing you've never been much good at Sasha, lying".

At that moment, Kate and Cando appeared. "Decca!, who is that?"Kate spat looking at Sasha with hate burning in her eyes. Decca could detect Kate's jealousy right from the start. However, as an omega, it had been his job to keep the peace. Even now under his real identity, that peace still needed to be maintained, so he remained composed and put on his best smile. "Sasha, this is Kate. Kate, this is Sasha, my howling partner" Decca proclaimed. "Nice to meet you" Sasha greeted, Kate just ignored her, turned around and stormed off back down the path with Cando trailing behind her. "what was that all about? What could she possibly have against us?" Sasha inquired "never mind, it's a long story and I don't feel like explaining it just now. You ready to howl then?" Decca asked. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be" Sasha replied and with that they both walked out onto the peak of howling rock. They waited a moment before both of them lifted their muzzles into the sky and howled, they howled their happiness at finally being together again as well as their sadness at all the things they had left behind. Both of their howls mixed into one wonderful note that sailed out over the valleys and mountains of Jasper. Their howl was so beautiful that no matter what you were doing you would stop just to listen to it. by now almost everyone at the moonlight howl had stopped just to listen to it. Not long after all the other wolves had stopped howling, Sasha stopped and just sat there listening to Decca's howl in silence, she found herself entranced by it and then she joined in again, leaning in towards him slightly. Finally one by one each of the wolves started howling again, trying to match their howls to Sasha and Decca's, mixing into a beautiful chorus that made even the crickets go quiet.

-ten minutes later-

The howl had ended and everyone had gone to their dens, well except for Decca and Sasha that is, they were still on top of Howling rock. "So that's what happened to me, what about you?, I thought you were dead" Decca asked as he finished telling Sasha about everything that had happened up until meeting her. Sasha sighed and started to tell her story.

-Flashback-

Decca" Sasha whispered one last time before the log shattered. Sasha was swept underneath the current but luckily she managed to hold her breath and swim up to the surface. When she broke to the surface of the water she gasped for air and quickly swam over to a piece of the shattered log she had been holding onto before. When she reached the piece of shattered wood, she quickly jumped onto it and shook herself dry "I've got to get back to Decca" she thought, taking note of her course as the current took her downstream. Eventually the piece of log washed up on the bank, Sasha quickly hopped off, shook herself dry and then started running back in the direction of the pack.

-three days later-

It had taken her three days to get back but now the end was in sight, she couldn't wait to see Decca again, he and her parents must have been so worried about her, but now she could put their minds at ease. She emerged from the undergrowth but froze in shock at seeing the terrible sight before her, there lying in the blood soaked clearing were the bodies of nearly every member of the pack. She wandered through the field of destruction and death, her eyes not quite believing what they were seeing. As she approached the dens belonging the pack leaders and their second in command, she found the bodies of several of the pack's best Zetas, including..her mum and dad "No!" Sasha cried as she ran over to them. She stayed there for what seemed like hours crying into her parents fur and desperately trying to wake them up, even though she knew it was pointless and they would never be coming back. "I've got to check if Decca's all right" she thought as she got up and ran to the pack leaders den. When she entered the den she saw Decca's mum lying on the floor...dead but just past that an even more horrifying sight awaited her, for there in the corner lay the un-moving body of a black and grey furred wolf pup in a pool of what appeared to be dried blood. "Decca?" Sasha asked, hoping to get some kind of response but getting none "Decca?" she asked, again getting nothing, she ran up to him and tried calling him several more times, each cry becoming more desperate, she tried nudging his head, licking him and even biting him on the ear (not too hard) yet he didn't stir. Tears dripped from her eyes and stained his fur as she stood over the body of her best friend, "Decca please! You can't leave me!" she begged. She stayed by Decca for ten minutes before she heard something outside, startled she ran out of the den and into the safety of the forest, promising to remember Decca and her parents forever. She would not forget them and one day she would see them again. Until then, she knew they would want her to make the most of her life, even if it was hard.

-End of Flashback-

"And after that I've been travailing around, living the life of a lone wolf, that is until came here and finally found you again" Sasha explained. seeing that it was getting late Sasha was about to go and find somewhere to sleep when Decca asked her a question. "Errm Sasha you do have somewhere to sleep don't you?" Decca asked. "err..no" Sasha admitted. "You can sleep in my den tonight" Decca said and with that they both headed back down to Decca's den.

-Elsewhere in the park-  
Two shadowy figures of wolves, one male and the other female, crept through the trees, they didn't know where they were going or why, but almost as though on a whim, the weary travelers had averted their travels to the west, almost as though drawn by some unknown calling. Side by side the two walked when the male suddenly stopped. "What is it?" the female Zeta asked, "we're nearing a pack's territory" her male companion answered, turning to her."Pack territory? *Sniffs* I don't smell anything" The female wolf objected."That's because you don't have any sense of smell, remember?" Her companion observed. "Well you don't have to be mean about it" the female complained. The male apologized as his female counterpart nodded as she lowered her head. "It's okay. So what's your plan?" she inquired. I don't know. I'm not familiar with this part of the country, so I don't know what kind of pack we're near. Let's go and calmly introduce ourselves. But be careful, and if we are confronted, stay calm, if they look hostile then carefully back away. The male replied. With that the two began to traverse slowly closer toward the Western border. Suddenly one the Weston Alpha's jumped out from where he was hiding."Halt! Who are you?" H asked the unknown wolves, the male wolf stepped forward."My name is..."


	8. Chapter 8 Family reunion

"My name is Shaun and she's Sheila" Shaun said pointing to the female wolf "And as for why we're here, we've been searching for over half a year in order to try and find somewhere to stay as our old pack was...was attacked." The Alpha stood there for a moment thinking, finally he spoke. "Follow me, I'll take you to Winston. He's our pack leader." With that Shaun and Sheila followed the Alpha through the territory and up to the Pack leader's den.

As they neared the den the Alpha motioned for Shaun and Sheila to wait outside. "Sir?" He asked entering the den. "What is it Roscoe?" Winston replied. "I found two wolves near the northern border who said they wanted to find a place to stay." Roscoe explained. Winston got up, his bones making a cracking sound as he stretched. "Send them in." he ordered, Roscoe went outside and fetched Shaun and Sheila into the den.

"Now what are your names?" Winston asked, Shaun stepped forward. "I'm Shaun and she's Sheila." He replied, Winston raised his brow at this, as if he knew something that they didn't. "Where are you from?" Winston asked. "We used to live in a pack deep in the northern mountains, now there's nothing left of it to go back to." Shaun lamented. "What do you mean? What happened?" Winston asked, intrigued, immediately as soon as he said that he knew he struck a nerve as a tear escaped from Shaun's eye and Sheila started crying.

-Flashback-

Three pups played around in their den whilst their mother watched them with a smile on her face. Suddenly they heard growling and snarling coming from outside the den "stay here I'm going to see what's going on out there" the mother said to her pups who had looks of fear on their faces. She hadn't even made it out of the den when her mate Scarl came in, blood dripping from his muzzle and caked on his claws. "What's going on out there" she asked her Mate before she saw the savage look in his eye. She didn't even have time to scream before she was on her back with the wolf tearing her throat out. "Muuum!" the pups screamed standing there in shock at seeing their own mother killed right in front of them, It was Decca who recovered first and instinctively stood in front of his older brother and sister, preparing to fight to the death to defend them. "Good Decca, you're making it easier. You are tainted, weak. First I cleanse you, then I'll get rid of your brother and sister." The pup's farther said. "If you want them you're going to go through me." Decca growled, he then whispered to his two siblings. "You two make a run for it, I'll hold him off" He said. "Decca don't, you'll be killed." his sister argued. "Better me than you two. If one of us doesn't distract him, then we've all had it." Decca replied. Scarl uttered a soft, evil laugh. "Very well Decca, I had thought that you would be smarter than this, but if you want to fight it out then very well." There was a growl, then in a flash, Scarl leaped at Decca and pinned the young pup up against a wall, however, he then noticed the other two pups moving past him and slid round to the entrance to cut them off, letting go of Decca who slid to the floor coughing. Scarl seemed to have them trapped, but Decca wasn't finished quite yet. He struggled to his paws and leaped at his farther who noticed him and dodged his attack, leaving a gap between him and the entrance of the den. Decca's twin brother and sister both ran out through the gap that their farther had made dodging their brother's attack. When they emerged from the den Shaun and Sheila looked around in horror. There were bodies of Zetas, fellow pack members everywhere, both young and old and the snow covered ground was caked in blood. Not stopping both of the young wolf pups made it to the tree line before a howl of pain, unmistakably belonging to the youngest of the three siblings stopped them in their tracks, then they saw Scarl coming out of the den and wasted no time in turning and running again.

-ten minutes later-

both wolf pups sat on top of a ledge overlooking the valley. Sheila wept into her brother's shoulder. "Mum! Decca!" she cried and broke down again, Shaun just sat there looking out over the valley, unsure of what to do. The three of them had done everything together and now that Decca was gone, it felt as if a piece of his soul had been lost alongside him. With the loss of their mother and their brother, it felt like there was nothing left, they both felt lost and alone. Shaun couldn't stand the sadness that was bottled up inside of him, he needed some way to let it all out. He stepped forward and started howling a mournful song for those who had died. After a while Sheila joined in and they both sat there howling a mournful requiem for their mother, their younger brother and all the other pack members. After five minutes they finally stopped howling, but then only because they had run out of breath and energy. "So now what do we do?" Sheila asked. "I...I...I don't know, go find somewhere to sleep for tonight and decide what to do next in the morning I guess? But first, let's get as far away from this as we can." Shaun answered hesitantly and with that they both headed sadly off further up the mountain.

-End of Flashback-

"And after that we carried on journeying south, stopping at several places along the way until we came to here." Shaun finished. "Hmm, I see. Well you have my permission to stay here as long as you want." Winston replied thoughtfully. "Really? You would do that? Thank you so much." the two Zetas replied. Winston chuckled, it was hard not to see parts of Decca in his two siblings. "No problem, by the way you might want to go down to the lake and clean up before I introduce you to the rest of the pack, I'll show you where that is." Winston offered, knowing who else would probably be at the lake at this time of day.

"I'm sorry for the loss of your mother and your brother, me and my mate eve were very good friends with both of your parents" Winston confessed as he led them down to the lake. Eventually they arrived on a ledge that overlooked the lake. "Wow!" Both Shaun and Sheila exclaimed as they looked out over the large expanse of water that glinted like silver in the rising sun's rays, then their attention focused on a wolf that was sitting alone by the edge of the lake. "Who is that?" Shaun asked. "He looks familiar but I can't put my paw on it." "That is someone you'll probably be wanting to meet. Wait there, I'll go and get him." Winston answered as he disappeared into the undergrowth.

Decca smiled as he watched the sun slowly climb up over the horizon, his mind full of thoughts and confused/conflicting emotions about Sasha, of finally meeting her again and about when his farther would inevitably return to wipe them out for good. He liked it here by the lake, it was peaceful, quiet and beautiful, plus only he, Eve and Winston knew that this place existed, it was somewhere where he could come and clear his head, or escape the constant taunting, insults and abuse from other pack members. There was another lake in the Weston pack territory however, but that was always packed with Omega's and pups. Decca liked to be on his own, away from the chaos of pack life. "Pfft, Omegas" he muttered quietly to himself as he thought about those wolves that most other wolves thought had life easy. They mostly didn't have to hunt, they didn't have to train and they normally didn't have to fight. All they have to do is have fun, play around and keep the peace. However, despite whatever else him or other wolves thought about Omega's, Decca knew that they certainly didn't have life easy and they had one of the most important jobs in the pack, even if everyone else overlooked it. Without Omega's you had no one to keep the peace, without peace fights would break out everywhere and the entire pack system would fall from the inside.

As Decca sat there engrossed in his thoughts a bush behind him rustled, startled, he turned around and got into a defensive stance, a low growl emitting from his throat. "Easy Decca. It's only me" Winston cautioned as he stepped out from the tree line. "Hey Winston, what brings you out here at this time of day?" Decca asked. "I was just coming down here to check up on how you are doing and also there are a couple of wolves that you'll probably want to talk to." Winston answered as he motioned for Decca to follow him and stalked off into the bushes, Decca, immediately curious followed closely behind.

Shaun was impatiently pacing around the clearing, waiting for Winston and the unknown wolf to return, whilst Sheila sat watching him. Out of the three of them, he had been the one to inherit their father's impatience and stubbornness. Suddenly and without warning, a black blur shot out of one of the nearby bushes and tackled Shaun, sending both of them sliding across the floor. As they came to a stop Shaun noticed that the thing that had tackled him and now had him pinned was the wolf that they had seen down by the lake. "Is that really you bro?" The black wolf asked. Shaun who had been trying to throw the wolf off was taken aback by what the wolf said, he took a closer look at the black wolf. It couldn't be, it was impossible, yet there was no mistaking those crimson tipped ears, that goofy smile or the calm and caring look in his eyes. "Decca? Is that really you?" Shaun asked, shocked and not quite believing what his eyes were seeing. Decca chuckled at this. "No, I'm Shadow. Of course it's me! Who else could it be?" Decca replied sarcastically, standing aside so as to let Shaun up. Even now, with Decca right in front of him, Shaun still couldn't believe it, with unshed tears staining his eyes, he cautiously edged forward and slowly reached his paw out to touch Decca, afraid that if he moved too fast then the wolf would shatter into a mirage and disappear. "Please tell me this is real and that I'm not dreaming, because if it is a dream, then I never want to wake up." He begged. "listen brother, look at me, I'm here, I'm alive, I'm real." Decca responded, walking round and draping a paw over Shaun's back. Upon hearing this, Sheila snapped out of the trance she had been in after hearing Decca's name, she ran up and tackled him into a hug. "Decca! We thought you were dead!" she wailed, crying into his fur.

After a few minutes Shelia stopped crying and let go of Decca. "It's great to see you two again! Especially when I had given up all hope that I ever would!" Decca exclaimed. "I know. What happened to you after we left?" Shaun asked. Before Decca could answer, Garth and Lilly walked into the clearing. "Hey Decca, what are you doing here and who are these wolves?" Garth asked. Decca looked between Garth, Lilly, Shaun and Shelia, wondering about how he should go about introducing them. "Oh, this is my brother Shaun and my sister Shelia. Bro, sis this is my cousin Garth and his mate Lilly" Decca replied, introducing them to each other. "Hi" Lilly said shyly. "So Decca, you were telling us what happened the day we lost you?" Shaun inquired, eager to find out how his brother had survived the past six and a half months alone. "Well after you two left, dad tried to follow you, so I bit down on his tail to stop him. He then attacked me and threw me into a wall, giving me these scars, then I lost consciousness. The next thing I remember is my uncle Tony standing over me in the den and asking me if I was all right. So I told him what happened and then he suggested that I come and live in his pack until something else could be worked out. So I journeyed with him back to his pack and I stayed there for several months whilst he was arranging things with Winston." Garth was shocked at hearing this latest bit of news. "Wait! I don't remember ever seeing you around the pack?" he challenged. "What you can't remember your best friend?" Decca replied, faking a hurt look. "I only ever remember one black furred wolf in the eastern pack that I hung around with. His name was Kora, kind of a loner, had no family, but he was the happiest, kindest wolf you could ever meet, everyone loved him and...and he was my best friend, we did everything together and he was like the brother I never had. Until the incident." Garth lamented.

-Flashback-

Two young wolf pups were chasing each other through the valley that ran down the eastern territory of Jasper. One of the pups had reddish brown fur whilst the other one had black fur on top and his legs with light grey fur on his underbelly, he also had crimson fur on the tips of his ears and tail, with two patches of light grey fur under his eyes. "Come on Garth you'll never catch me!" the pup with black fur challenged as he narrowly ducked under a fallen log. "You'll never escape me caribou! I'm the best Alpha ever!" Garth boasted as he jumped over the log and continued running, however he got distracted for a moment and crashed headfirst into another log. "Ouch, that has got to hurt. It seems I just did." Kora laughed, then he started running again as Garth recovered. Suddenly the two pups stopped as the ground at their feet started shaking, they looked at each other, even this young, both of them knew exactly what it meant. "This is bad, what should we do?" Garth asked, panicking slightly. "Umm, run" Kora suggested as the stampede of caribou turned round the corner just ahead of them. The pups wasted no time in turning around and running back the way they came. As they ran the valley got narrower and the caribou were getting closer, suddenly the pups spotted a shelf of rock that stuck out from one of the sides of the valley."Up there, that should keep us out of the way of the stampede." the black furred pup said motioning to it. Both pups raced towards the shelf of rock. "Hurry those caribou are getting closer." The black furred pup said as Garth jumped for the ledge and managed to grab onto the edge of it, but the shaking ground made him lose his grip. He slipped back down onto the ground, the caribou were almost on top of them now, Kora however had a good, albeit risky idea, he went and sat just in front of the rock. "If I brace myself up this wall here and you climb onto my head, then you should be able to reach the top and pull me up behind you." he called to Garth, without hesitating Garth climbed on top of the black furred pup's head and managed to climb onto the ledge, he turned around to grab his friend, but the Caribou were already thundering past and there was no sign of him. Eventually the stampede subsided and Garth jumped down from the ledge. "Kora?. where are you? Come out, the stampede's gone! Now we can play again!" Garth called as he looked for his friend. He looked for 10 minutes, his calls getting more desperate and still there was no sign of Kora. Suddenly he felt a paw land on his shoulder, he looked up and saw that it was his dad, there were tears in his eyes and staining the fur around them, it was obvious that he had been crying. "Kora can't play with you anymore son. I'm sorry" Tony apologized, when he heard this Garth was confused but he soon realized what his dad was talking about, he was after-all no stranger to the concept of death, his mother had died when he was young and Kora had already told him that his parents had been killed. Garth started crying as he had just lost his best friend.

-End of Flashback-

"So my friend was killed in the stampede and I never even got to say goodbye. So you can't be him and like I said, I never knew any other black furred wolves." Garth finished. "I almost was killed in the stampede but not quite, here's what happened to me." Decca replied.

-Flashback-

Decca/Kora had just helped Garth onto the ledge, but now the Caribou were almost on him. The young pup quickly rolled into a spot that was in-between the legs of the thundering stampede, however, he knew he had to get out of there, so he started running along with the Caribou, he saw a hollow log and jumped inside it. He hadn't been in there long however when the Caribou hooves smashed both ends of the log, narrowly missing Decca. Immediately Decca jumped out and started running again. As he was running he noticed a path winding up the side of the canyon and made his way over to it whilst trying not to get killed by the stampede. Eventually he made it and was climbing up the path when Tony came down towards him. "Ah, Decca, I was just on my way to fetch you, I've talked with Winston and we both agree that you should go and live in the Western pack as an Omega." 

Decca was shocked at what Tony had just said, he was enjoying it here in a place where he was liked and respected by everyone else, he didn't want to go anywhere else and be left with nothing, not again, especially when that position would be as an Omega. "But why? I don't want to go and live in the Western pack! I don't want to be a stupid, weak Omega! I want to stay here! I want to go to Alpha school! I want to play with Garth! I want to hunt Caribou! I don't want to lose my friends!" Decca shouted. "you're going to the Weston pack and that's all I'll say on the matter!" Tony answered. Decca sat there staring daggers at Tony, but Tony was not backing down. Finally Decca gave up, and dropped his head with a sigh of defeat. "Fine, but can I at least say goodbye to Garth before we go?" he asked with his head down and a depressed look on his face. Seeing his nephew like this broke Tony's heart, but he had a job to do and he knew that even this pup would not understand the real reasons for why he had to leave, but he promised himself that one day he would see him return to the Eastern pack. "I'm sorry but we have to go immediately, Winston is expecting us." Tony mentioned as walked up towards the tree line, motioning for Decca to follow him, Decca took one last sad look down the valley before following Tony.

-End of flashback-

"So that's how I ended up in the Western pack as an Omega. And yes, Kora was just another false name I went by, however, at least there I never had to pretend to be something I wasn't" Decca finished. "Wow it seems you've been through a lot since the last time we saw you." Shaun replied. "You don't know the half of it." Decca muttered under his breath. Just then Sasha came walking down the path towards them. "Wait is that...?" Sheila started "Yes it's Sasha" Decca finished. "Well it looks like everyone is coming back from the dead." Shaun joked, earning him a punch to the shoulder from Decca. "Hey Decca, what are lot you doing down here?" Sasha asked as she approached them. "Hey erm...Sasha, Decca was just telling us what happened to him after your pack was wiped out." Lilly replied. "Wow there's quite a crowd drawing in now, this place is even busier than the feeding grounds after a successful hunt" Decca joked as he began to re-tell his story.


	9. Chapter 9: The Proposal

Garth, Lilly, Sasha, Shelia and Shaun had been sitting in the clearing for most of the morning listening as Decca told all about how him and Kate got relocated, he told them about how him and Kate met Marcel and Paddy who directed them home and of course he didn't forget to mention how he saved Kate's life after she ran away from him because she was angry that he had lost their ride home. Sasha also told them what had happened when Decca lost her and she had made her way back to the pack, only to find Decca supposedly dead along with most of the pack. "right so that is everything that has happened in my life right up until we met again" Decca finished. "wow and to think we thought we had an adventure" Shaun commented. "So? What should we do now?" Garth asked, suddenly a loud rumbling sound came from his belly. "I'm wondering, was that a bear or your belly Barf?" Decca teased in a fit of laughter. "I told you not to call me that!" Garth shouted. "why not Barf? it's a good name" Shaun joked. "hey that's my name for him, no one gets to call him Barf except me,make up your own nicknames" Decca protested. "Neither of you are allowed to call me any nicknames" Garth replied. "How about Stinkbutt? Loudmouth? Skunkbutt? errrm birdbrain? Ooh ooh, I know, Pack idiot?" Decca offered, causing Garth to go a shade redder. "Decca, just because you're my cousin and best friend, don't believe that I would think twice about hitting you if you continue" Garth growled, getting really annoyed at these two immature Zetas. Sasha, Lilly and Sheila just watched as Decca and Shaun continued to make up nicknames for Garth, causing the wolf to snap, he started chasing the two brothers around the clearing. "Do you reckon we sort this out ourselves or just leave them to it and wait for them to get tired?" Sheila asked the other two."If we want to get something to eat, then we best not. If I know Shaun and Decca then they can do this all day, I'll handle this" Sasha replied, she stepped forward. "Right that's enough you lot! I can see that your stomachs are talking louder than your heads! so let's just calm down, head to the feeding grounds and get something to eat" Sasha shouted, a howl signalling a successful hunt sounded out just as she said that. Lilly, Garth, Shaun and Sheila looked at her stunned whilst Decca looked at her with a mixture of fear and amusement, after all he had seen firsthand what could happen if Sasha got annoyed, not with himself being on the receiving end of it of course but rather his tormentors in the Zeta pack, those that had pushed him around and bullied him soon learned that to pick on him was to risk the wrath of Sasha. slowly one by one Lilly, Garth, Shaun and Sheila snapped out of their shock, In the bushes Winston smiled to himself as he watched the five wolves slowly started walking up towards the feeding grounds, it was so good finally seeing the family back together again and he was happy for them.

When the five of them got to the feeding grounds they each took a piece of meat from the carcasses that the hunting party had brought back before Garth led them over to where two eastern wolves were sat. Even after spending so long away from the Eastern pack, Decca still recognised them. "Hey! Zeke! Theo!" Decca called out, the two wolves turned around to see who had called them, their mouths dropped open and they stared wide-eyed in shock. "Wait, Kora? But the stampede? Garth and Tony said you got trampled" Theo exclaimed. "Guys, yes it's me, back from the dead, but my name isn't Kora, it's Decca" The young Half-wolf replied. "Ahh, we don't care, so long as you're alive. Besides, Decca is a better name than Kora" Zeke said as he and Theo ran up to Decca and tackled him to the ground. "it's great to see you guys too" Decca laughed, trying to protect himself as Zeke and Theo started tickling him, it was wonderful to see that these two hadn't changed one bit. Once he got up, Decca introduced Zeke and Theo to Sasha, Shaun and Shelia, then they just sat on the grass talking as they ate their meal.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Decca asked after they had all finished their food. "I don't know, you're always the one with ideas" Shaun answered, just as he said that, Salty, Shakey and Mooch entered the feeding grounds and came over to where Decca and the others were "Hey Humph... erm I mean Decca. *under his breath* Boy, this is so confusing. You said that you would hang out with us today" Shakey said as they approached. "Wait that's it! Guys I think it's time we introduced them to logboarding. I can't wait to see what Garth makes of this" Decca exclaimed.

10 minutes later

Four hollowed out half logs and eleven wolves sat at the top of the large slope that the omega's and Decca used for logboarding, everyone was excited except Garth who had small hollowed out half logs on his knees and his elbows (like pads that you wear for skateboarding or whatever). "Are you sure this is safe?" Garth asked nervously as he peered over the edge and down the steep slope, unsure of how on earth Decca and his friends actually managed to do this, let alone how they managed to talk him into it. "Oh come on, I thought Alpha's are supposed to be fearless, not scared of going down a small hill" Sasha teased, getting a laugh from the others which made Garth turn as red as a tomato out of either embarrassment, anger or both, you never could tell. "Right you did add breaks to this didn't you?" Decca asked Salty. "Umm...about that..." Shakey started before he was cut off by Salty. "Sure we added brakes this time around, we aren't idiots, also there's a massive mound of dirt at the bottom to make sure little Garthy doesn't get hurt" Salty replied. "Oh good, WAIT! WHAT!" Garth shouted. "all right everyone get in and hold on tight, this is going to get bumpy." Decca said as he got into one of the logs along with Garth and Sasha. "Last one to the bottom is the caribou." Decca said as he pushed off sending the log flying down the slope, Decca felt the all too familiar rush of the wind flying past him, ruffling his fur and chilling the skin underneath, he imagined that this must be what it felt like to fly, to be free, he became lost in the moment as he closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander. However, the need to teach the other two how to steer and prevent them from crashing soon brought him back to his senses.

"Lean left, lean right" Decca shouted, instructing the other two on how to turn the improvised "sled" as the log narrowly missed a tree and a rock. The log continued to pick up speed as it shot down the hill, Decca and Sasha were screaming out of excitement with their paws in the air whilst Garth was...well, just screaming, but as the log continued on its path down the hill a smile started forming on Garth's muzzle until he was screaming with excitement like the other two. "So Garth how is log sledding now?" Decca asked after hearing Garth yell with excitement "WHAT?" Garth asked, not being able to hear Decca properly because of the air rushing past them. "I SAID HOW IS LOG SLEDDING NOW!" Decca shouted so that Garth could hear him. "YOU KNOW IT ISN'T AS BAD AS I FIRST THOUGHT!" Garth replied. Just then one of the other logs zoomed past them "quick aim for that rock" Decca instructed, pointing to a flat rock that stuck up at an angle. the log hit the rock and flew up into the air, carrying the three wolves with it. "WAHOO!" they shouted as they were catapulted out of the log, then they looked down and saw that they were no longer in the log, then they started falling, but luckily they landed in a heap on the log with Sasha on top. "Well that was lucky" Sasha sighed as she looked around, noticing that they were back in first place, then she looked down, seeing the other two beneath her and suppressed a chuckle. "Garth get your butt out of my face" came the muffled voice of Decca,who was struggling to breath through the mass of fur that sat atop him. Sasha and Garth carefully got off Decca. "Errrm...guys...tree!" Sasha warned pointing to a large tree only a few feet away. "Quick, everyone lean right!" Decca shouted, they did as he said and they narrowly missed the tree but they had steered right into the path of a rock that was sticking up out of the ground.

The log hit the rock and catapulted the three wolves out of it, sending Decca and Sasha flying over the mound of dirt, a pile of leaves broke Sasha's fall, however Decca landed hard on his side on the solid ground. "well that went well" Decca moaned to himself as he shakily got to his feet but as he did so a surge of pain shot through his left fore-paw. "Ow my paw!" he exclaimed, as he collapsed to the ground with a pained yelp. "Decca you okay? Are you hurt?" Sasha asked concerned as she hurried over to him after watching him collapse. "Yea I'm okay but my paw isn't" Decca replied through gritted teeth, just then the log containing Lilly Shaun and Shelia crashed through the pile of dirt and came to a stop then after it came Zeke and Theo, then finally Salty, Shakey and Mooch. "hey what's up with Decca?" Shakey asked, noticing his friend lying on the ground, seemingly in pain. "When the sled catapulted us all out, he landed pretty hard and I think he's hurt his paw" Sasha replied as they stepped closer to Decca. "This looks pretty bad, we should get him to my mom as soon as possible without hurting him" Lilly advised as she examined Decca's paw, being careful not to touch it and cause him more pain. Sasha helped Decca up, then allowed him to lean on her so he didn't have to put weight on his left paw. "Hey wait ,where's Garth?" Decca asked, looking around and not seeing any sign of the red Eastern wolf anywhere. "I don't know, I'll go look for him... wait, come and look at this" Shaun called as he went round the other side of the dirt pile through the gap the logs had made. The others followed him and immediately started laughing because Garth had been flung head first into the dirt pile and was now stuck with the back half of his body sticking out of the pile. "This isn't funny guys, someone help me out of this!" came Garth's muffled voice, Theo and Zeke grabbed hold of him and started to pull, but had no success in getting him out. "Can't you pull any harder?" Shaun asked as they continued tugging. "Hey! We are pulling our hardest, Garth is just a bit fat" Zeke replied defensively. "I HEARD THAT!" Garth shouted "I BET THAT WAS YOU Zeke!". Shaun and Shelia started tugging on Garth as well and eventually they managed to pull Garth out of the dirt pile and started to make their way back to the packs.

Five minutes later

Eve was in her and Winston's den relaxing when in came Sasha, Lilly and Decca who was lent against Sasha and was holding his left foreleg up off the ground. "What can I do for you?" Eve asked as the three of them entered. "Decca's hurt, we were out log sledding and he got catapulted out of the log and hurt his paw." Lilly explained as Sasha gently lowered Decca to the floor. "Right you two go wait outside whilst I check his leg" Eve commanded as Lilly and Sasha went outside. "How many times have I told you to stop pulling crazy stunts like that? It's only a matter of time before you get yourself killed." Eve scolded. "Hey, what can I say, old habits die hard." Decca replied, managing a weak chuckle. As Eve checked over Decca's leg her mind wandered back to when she had first met him as a pup before he was to become Humphrey, he stayed in a den just outside pack territory whilst Winston made arrangements for his arrival into the pack (having a new den dug and thinking of an excuse for the pup's sudden arrival into the pack among other things) and either her or Winston would take turns to go down to check up on him. Eve liked going to see Decca and to her and Winston he was like the son they never had, he was a very kind and shy pup, although around those he saw as friends he was also playful and fun loving, despite being a Zeta and despite everything he had been through. As soon as he met Kate and Lilly as Humphrey she could tell that there was a strong bond of friendship that had formed between them, in fact Eve had overheard Humphrey/Decca saying to Lilly that to him she and Kate were like family and he hoped that they could be friends forever. Eve knew that when she and Winston weren't around anymore he would keep her daughters safe no matter what. Eve snapped out of her train of thought and began concentrating on the task at paw, after examining Decca's leg she stepped outside the den where Lilly and Sasha were both eagerly awaiting news of Decca. "what's up with him?" Sasha immediately asked, with a look of worry and concern on her face. "His leg is broken, but not badly, so long as he keeps it still, then it should heal up in about one and a half to two weeks. Lilly will you please go and find some vines so I can make a splint for his leg?" Eve replied. As Lilly ran off to get the vines, Eve and Sasha went inside the den, Sasha sat down and started chatting and joking with Decca whilst Eve went to the back of the den and picked up to little half logs out of a pile that had been picked specially for making splints, she then placed them down near Decca and joined in the two young wolves' conversation whilst waiting for Lilly to get back.

ten minutes later

Eve had just finished making the splint. "Right that's that done, you just need to rest it for a week or so, then it should be as good as new, so that means no hunting or playing with your friends." Eve told Decca. Decca Lilly and Sasha started to leave but just as they got to the entrance of the den, Winston walked in. "Ah Sasha there you are. I've been looking everywhere for you, your new den is finished now, if you follow me I'll take you to it. By the way Decca, your brother and sister are sharing your old den, I hope you don't mind" Winston said as he led Sasha along with Lilly and Decca out of the den.

13 days later

Decca's leg had finally healed and today found him lying by the lake which was lit spectacularly by the setting sun. Decca wasn't looking at the lake though, he was engrossed in thought. "What if she says no? What if she doesn't love me? Why would she want to be with a stupid Half-breed like me?" he muttered to himself, saying his thoughts out-loud. Suddenly he heard a dry twig snap to his left and a hushed voice say "oh shoot!". "Right, come out, I know your there" Decca chuckled, Sasha slowly padded out of the bushes where she had been trying to sneak up on Decca. "Wow Decca, your hearing really has improved" Sasha observed as she walked down to the lake and sat beside Decca. they sat side by side for a few minutes before Decca broke the silence. "Um Sasha...there is somewhere I want you to see, follow me" Decca said, getting up, curious as to what Decca wanted to show her, Sasha followed him. The route he took her through the forest was beautiful but Sasha wasn't concentrating on that, she was busy trying to figure out how to ask Decca a question that had been on her mind for years.

Ten minutes later

"Come on Sasha, hurry up" Decca said as he led her up the steep winding path that led her to yet another place that he was sure only he knew of, due to the teasing and bullying he had received during his time with the Weston pack, he had sought out many secluded spots where he could just be alone and escape from it all and this was one of them.

"I'm coming, where are we going anyway?" Sasha asked as she hurried to catch him up. By the time she caught up to him, she found him sitting on a ledge that overlooked the entire park, she walked over and sat beside him, her eyes taking in the amazing view lit up by the sunset. "Sasha there is something I need to ask you" Decca said quickly. "what?" Sasha asked, curious as to why Decca was being so twitchy and nervous. "Sasha, we've known eachother for a long time right?" Decca asked. "Yea, we've certainly known eachother a long time." Sasha affirmed, wondering where Decca was going with this. "And in that time you've been there for me more times than I can count, without you, I doubt I would be here. There is no easy way to say this and I have wanted to say it for a very long time...I...I...I love you, I have loved you since the first time we met, when you showed me that I didn't have to hide and pretend that I didn't exist, you showed me that I shouldn't let them see that they got to me. You mean everything to me. Will you marry me?" Decca asked quickly before dropping his head and sighing. Sasha sat there for a few seconds in shock at what Decca had just said, when she snapped out of the shock she sat down in front of Decca, put her paw under his chin and picked his head up so his eyes were looking into hers (or at least the one that wasn't covered by fur). "Decca I've loved you ever since I first met you and you don't know how long I've hoped to hear you say those words. Yes, a million times yes!" Sasha exclaimed as she leaned forwards so that her and Decca's noses were touching, they stayed like that for what felt to them like forever but in reality it was only a few seconds. "Sasha, I just have one last request, would you howl with me?" Decca asked when they pulled apart. "I thought you would never ask" Sasha giggled as she lifted her muzzle up to the sky and started howling along with Decca (Decca and Sasha's howl sounds a lot like Kate and Humphrey's on the train.), partway through the howl. Sasha stopped howling and just sat there admiring Decca's howl for a few seconds before starting again, as a pup, she had always wanted to hear his howl and it was one of the things she really missed after she thought he was dead. They eventually stopped and just sat there admiring the moonlit view. Sasha turned to Decca "So when are we going to get married?" she asked. "I'll go and talk to Winston in the morning and arrange it. Right now though it's getting late, I'll see you tomorrow." Decca replied with a yawn. Seeing that Decca was tired and needing to get some rest herself, Sasha bid goodbye and started walking off back the way she came to her den, Decca watched for a few seconds till she was swallowed up by the darkness. "What a wonderful wolf. I still can't imagine how someone like me could be with someone like her." He thought before making his way back to his own den.


	10. Chapter 10: Wolfnapped

It was a bright sunny day in Jasper park, which was perfect for what was going to go on today. Almost every wolf in the Eastern and Weston packs were down near ceremonial rock waiting for the ceremony to begin. Whilst the Eastern pack wolves were all very excited for the ceremony as they all knew by now that Kora had returned and had learned of his true name and story, most of the Western pack had no idea who the wolves were whose marriage they were supposed to be witnessing and were starting to get bored and irritable to the chagrin of the Eastern wolves who didn't want anything to spoil the day. The mid morning light filtered into the den of a certain wolf, Decca groaned as he got up and stretched, his bones giving a satisfying crack. He blinked rapidly a few times to get used to the sudden rush of light, then he looked around and remembered what day it was, his ears and tail drooped at the thought of almost forgetting today out of all days. "oh shoot I've got to get ready" Decca exclaimed as he raced down the path from his den and continued running till he got to the lake, once there he picked up a twig in his mouth and without missing a step, jumped right in and started scrubbing himself. He didn't care that he had already taken great pains in keeping his fur immaculate since washing the dust out of it, after all, he had to look his best for the big day and that meant not leaving even one speck of dirt or dust in his fur. When he finally got out his fur sparkled in the sunlight. He was about to leave when he noticed a beautiful white flower floating on the surface of the lake, he picked it up and ran off back to Winston and Eve's den.

**Winston and Eve's den**

Sasha sat nervously on the ledge in front of the den whilst Sheila, Lilly and Eve helped her get ready. Lilly was brushing Sasha's fur with a pine-cone like she had done for Kate, whilst Sheila and Eve stood back, occasionally moving in to help. Suddenly Sasha dropped her head and let out a long drawn-out sigh. "what's up? Nervous?" Eve asked as she moved to sit down beside the young Zeta who slightly bigger than she was. "Yea. I'm wondering what if I mess this up or make a mistake? what if I'm not good enough for him? He's kind, calm, gentle and...and perfect, whilst look at me. Where was I when his farther almost killed him? Where was I when he was being bullied as an Omega? I ran off when I thought he was dead as soon as I heard a noise outside. Some friend I've been" Sasha Lamented. "Listen , Decca doesn't care about your faults and imperfections, hell, if you were to ask him then he would give you a long list of his own. The point is, he loves you for who you are. When he thought he lost you, he lost all his confidence and he refused to leave the den and face the outside world, it took us nearly two days just to convince him to simply play a game with us. He told me that without you, he felt lost, like he was trapped in a cave with no way out and slowly suffocating. Even back then he loved you so much that he would rather die and be with you in the afterlife than live without you, which is why I think he told us to save ourselves whilst he held off our Farther when he murdered the pack. Even now, his love for you has not diminished, I can tell in his eyes and the way he acts around you, so don't even say that" Sheila scolded.

Eve walked up to Sasha and placed a beautiful white flower in her fur which Sasha noticed was a Lilly, she smiled, she could smell Decca's scent on the flower, he knew it was her favourite flower and he always knew how to calm her down when she was anxious or nervous and cheer her up when she was upset. "Here, Decca found this for you. He was going to give it you in person, but it's bad luck for him to see you before the wedding" Eve whispered, as she, Lilly and Sheila stepped back to admire their work. "Wow you look amazing. Trust me, Decca's going to drop dead when he sees you" Sheila exclaimed excitedly as they walked down the slope from the den. As they were entering a clearing a twig snapped and a large black and grey wolf entered the clearing. "Now what do we have here?" The wolf asked "two wolves that really should be dead by now and I know that wherever you are Shelia, your brothers can't be far behind". "who are you?" Eve questioned, getting into an aggressive stance. "Who I am doesn't matter, all that matters is that you're in my way" the unknown wolf sneered, showing his large and very sharp teeth, like daggers ready to bite into whoever opposed him. Eve and Shelia stood protectively in front of Sasha and in response the wolf lowered his body before giving an evil chuckle and charging at Eve and Sheila knocking them out of the way. After knocking the two of them aside, the unknown wolf picked Sasha up by the scruff of the neck, instantly causing all her limbs to instinctively lock up before running off into the forest with Sasha in his jaws, unable to resist. "Ugh, what just happened? We need to get the pack here now and chase after that wolf and..." Eve Began, Sheila remembered that voice, it was the voice of the wolf that destroyed the pack and killed her mother. "No! We need to go find Decca and the others and tell them first" She interrupted, running off in the direction of Decca's den.

**At Decca's den**

Shaun along with Garth, Zeke, Theo, Salty, Shakey and Mooch were helping Decca get ready. "Hey thanks for helping me get ready guys" Decca said, turning to face his friends. "Hey, don't thank us, that's what friends are for after all" Zeke replied. Suddenly Sheila, Lilly and Eve appeared at the top of the path in a blind state of panic. "Quick...Deccca...Sasha...taken...Scarl" Sheila stuttered out of breath. When Decca heard that he wasted no time in tearing off down the path with the rest of them trying to catch up. Halfway down they nearly ran into Tony and Winston who were on their way up to fetch Decca. "Hey where are you lot off to in such a hurry and why aren't you three with Sasha?" Winston asked. "She's been taken by Scarl" Shaun replied angrily, Winston and Tony stood there mouths agape for a few seconds before Tony broke the silence. "Well what are we standing around here for then? We're wasting time that I could be using to rip off the tail of that low-down, conniving, cheating and evil Zeta and beat him to death with it for ruining my Nephew's special day." Tony Growled angrily, running down the path leaving everyone shocked. "And I thought Eve was the violent one" Decca joked, earning him a death glare from her. "Well let's go then, split up and find him, but don't engage him alone. Don't worry Decca, we'll get Sasha back, unharmed" Winston ordered as they all chased after Tony. "I'm Coming Sasha, hold on, this time I promise I won't be too late to save you." Decca repeated to himself, praying that Sasha would be ok and that they would reach her on time.


	11. Rescue, Return, Regret and Forgiveness

Sasha regained consciousness, yet she didn't dare open her eyes, everything hurt. "Am I dead?" she asked, a chuckle sounding out in response. "No, at least not yet" a voice replied. Sasha opened her eyes to find herself in a clearing with her two front paws tied together with vines and the same with her back paws and there in front of her was Scarl. "Now you're probably wondering why you're still alive." Scarl sneered, not even bothering to look at her as he paced around the clearing. "you're alive so as Decca comes rushing in here to rescue you, I'll slit his throat, then as he's slowly and painfully dying and bleeding out, he can watch me finally kill you just as a dies himself." Scarl continued, laughing maliciously. " Wow: Crazy, loves to monologue and overconfident, Decca's right, you are like a cliché villain." Sasha laughed. Scarl was angry at the suggestion that the half-breed runt would be right about anything, especially when it came to insulting him. He was about to let out a retort when Decca stumbled into the clearing. "Stop right there Scarl!" Decca commanded. Scarl turned around and started laughing when he saw the lone half-Zeta "Hahahaha, so you come alone to rescue her? I'll admit you have courage, but I was expecting more from you." Scarl . "What makes you think he's alone?" Tony replied, stepping into the clearing, closely followed by Shaun and Sheila. "Ahhhh! Tony, Shaun, Decca and Sheila. What a nice family reunion" Scarl observed chuckling evilly. "You'll pay for what you did to my sister and nobody ruins my Nephew's big day and gets away with it" Tony growled, stepping menacingly towards Scarl until his back made a cracking sound and he fell to floor wincing in pain. "Tell me is your back still giving you problems" Scarl laughed evilly. He was about to move towards the four wolves when he was stopped by a growl from behind, he turned to see Winston, Eve, Lilly, Salty, Shakey, Mooch, Garth, Theo and Zeke surrounding him. 

"Hmmm you seem to be at a numerical advantage. Never mind we can soon fix that" Scarl observed, as he said that several other wolves jumped out of the bushes behind him and landed between him and the pack wolves, Scarl then casually got up on top of a large boulder that was on one side of the clearing and sat down to watch the spectacle that was about to unfold. "I want the black and crimson furred one as well as the one who is tied up alive. The rest of them, you may deal with as you wish" Scarl commanded. "Get them" The lead wolf growled and they all charged forward. One of wolves tried to take on Eve alone and (briefly) realized that was a big mistake when he was sent flying through the air and into a tree which took him out of the fight. Two of the wolves charged at Decca who was faking an injury, thinking him easy prey, completely ignoring the fact that their leader wanted him alive, however Decca quickly ran forward and ducked under their attack and when they were just above him, he leaped up, knocking them both to the ground. "Works every time. Half-breed: 1, dumb wolves: 0" Decca chuckled as he remembered the times he had used that trick when 'playing' with some of the other pups in Zeta school. Decca then weaved his way through the chaos to untie Sasha. "Thanks, I knew you would come for me" Sasha whispered as he slashed the vines with his claws. "Don't thank me yet, we still have to fight our way out of this." Decca exclaimed, they turned around to help the others out but came face to face with four of the hostile wolves and their leader.

Lilly, Salty, Shakey and Mooch meanwhile were sitting on the side-lines, trying to stay out of the fighting whilst thinking of some way to help. Garth was only fighting one wolf and didn't seem to need any help, Shaun and Sheila also seemed to have things under control, Eve, Winston and Tony were back to back but also didn't seem to need any help, Decca and Sasha seemed to be holding their own against the 5 wolves that were attacking them from the front, but there was another wolf sneaking round behind them. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Lilly asked the three other Omega's. "I think so" Shakey replied as Salty and moooch nodded to each other. The four Omegas slowly began to move closer to the wolf who was too busy concentrating on Decca and Sasha to notice them. "WOLF PILE!" the Omega's shouted as they leapt onto the unsuspecting wolf, flattening, winding, crushing and pinning him. "Thanks" Decca said as he dodged another swiping attack from one of the other wolves whilst Sasha tackled the Wolf into a nearby tree.

Eventually the fighting stopped, most of the wolves were wounded or unconscious and those that could fled back into the forest. Scarl growled in frustration and leaped down from the rock. "Looks like you need to get some better help" Decca observed. "It doesn't matter. I don't need them anyway. I'm still strong enough to take you on. You will die like your Father before you" Scarl growled advancing towards Shaun, Sheila, Decca and Sasha. Decca tilted his head to the side in the typical canine look of confusion as his mind tried to process what had just been said. This wolf claimed to have killed his farther, but that couldn't be right, could it? It would make sense as when he looked closely, Decca could notice some distinct differences between this wolf and his farther, they looked almost identical, but not quite. For one, the wolf's eyes were a slightly different shade of green (although you could only tell by looking closely), his fur was also ragged and unkempt whereas Decca always remembered his farther taking great pride in his appearance. This wolf also had patches of brown mixed in with his grey fur, whereas Decca's father didn't. Decca also remembered that every moment spent with him, his father had been kind and caring, he could tell from the wild look in his eye that this wolf possessed none of that.

"You know, I wouldn't say I was quite dead yet Scor" another wolf interrupted from across the clearing. Everybody turned to see who had spoken and were surprised to find a wolf that looked exactly like Scarl/Scor, except, his fur was slightly better kept and his eyes were darker in colour. "It's been too long brother." the wolf continued, walking deeper into the clearing. "S...S...S...Scarl! B...B...But I killed you!" Scor protested backing away from the wolf as he walked towards him, with a look on his face like he was seeing a ghost and that showed he was as dumbstruck as the others were. Sasha was the first to break out of her confusion. "Wait if you're Scarl then who is he?" she asked, looking back and forth between the two wolves. "That Sasha is my twin brother Scorvier. He was outlawed from the pack before any of you were born. He's the one who destroyed the pack and killed my best friend and my mate." Scarl said, his voice full of hate as he calmly kept a watchful eye on Scor. "Why was he outlawed dad?" Decca asked, finally plucking up the courage to speak. "When our father stepped down, I became the next pack leader, but my brother became jealous, he thought that since he was stronger he should've been the next pack leader. So one night h..h..h..he killed our father and then attempted to kill me, but he was taken down by several other wolves. Now he had murdered our farther and his punishment should've been execution but I just couldn't bring myself to kill my own brother, or order him to be killed, so I instead banished him from the pack never to return. He held on to his jealousy though, but now it was mixed with revenge. He changed his name to Scor and managed to wrestle control of several packs. When you and Sasha were born, he came back looking for revenge and made several attempts at killing or kidnapping the three of you and Sasha whose farther had been the one to take him down. Two days after he and his wolves got rid of Sasha though, he managed to ambush me whilst I was ptrolling the pack borders alone and chucked me into a river, thinking I was dead, he then attacked our pack with the rest of his wolves." Scarl explained. "But how come he went straight after us and Decca in particular instead of going after you?" Shaun wondered. "Because that wimp is an abomination, whilst you are the most precious things to your parents and I knew that if I killed or captured you then their pain would be much worse than if I killed them outright. Also, I could use your pathetic lives as leverage to gain the position of leadership that I deserved." Scor Laughed. "But seeing as how the family is back together and I have seen enough blood of our own kind spilled, I am prepared to offer you a deal. You pledge yourselves to me and together we rule the whole of Jasper, just as the Zetas of old did, just as we were born to do. These normal wolves are lesser creatures, it is our birth-right that we lord over them." Scor offered. "Dude, seriously? Why would anyone make that kind of deal with you? Also, that is the most cliché bad guy offer ever." Decca observed. "You killed most of our pack, you killed my second in command and my best friend (Sasha's Father), you killed my mate and you tried to do the same to me and our pups. AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO ASK ME TO STAND ASIDE WHILST YOU TURN THESE WOLVES INTO YOUR SLAVES!" Scarl Shouted as he advanced even closer towards Scor causing even Eve to flinch. Scor waited till Scarl was only a few feet away then with a mirthless smile on his lips he leapt at him, fangs bared, Scarl's reflexes however were fast and he moved so that the attack made at his throat instead hit his side and no sooner had Scor's attack made contact he was tackled and pinned down by Sasha, Decca, Shaun and Sheila, Scor was Strong however and managed to throw the four wolves off and he made a run for it.

**ten minutes later**

Scor stood on the cliff next to the waterfall, watching the water crash over the edge and smash on the rocks below. "I'll make them pay for this, they will all die. Especially Decca, if it wasn't for him my plan would've worked perfectly the first time. When I return to rule over these lands, I'll make sure that half-breed is put in his place" Scor muttered to himself, he then heard a twig snap behind him and tried to make a break for it, so he could escape this accursed territory, but something hard slammed into his side and he was sent flying across the ground. Groaning, he got up to see Decca facing him with solid determination in his eyes. He had to admit, the half-breed had courage, taking on a Zeta more than twice his size. Scor laughed and lunged at Decca, who waited till the last possible second and quickly dodged the attack. After a few more failed attacks, Scor was getting tired and angry. "STAY SILL!" he shouted after Decca pulled his tail away from in front of Scor's jaws. Just as Scor was about to launch another attack, Scarl, Sasha, Shelia and Shaun along with Tony, Winston, Eve and the entire Eastern and Weston packs emerged from the treeline. "It's over Scor. are you going to come quietly or does this have to get painful?" Tony asked stepping out in front of the group. "YOU FOOLS! NOTHING IS OVER TILL YOU LIE ON THE GROUND IN POOLS OF BLOOD! I WILL RETURN! THIS COMBINED PACK, ALL YOU HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO ACHIEVE WILL LIE IN RUINS AND I WILL RIP YOU LIMB FROM LIMB AND SCATTER YOUR CARCASSES ALL OVER THE TERRITORY TO SHOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO GET IN MY WAY! AS FOR YOU HALF-BREED! I WILL NOT REST TILL YOU LIE TETHERED UP IN MY DEN, FOLLOWING MY EVERY COMMAND AS BEFITS A CREATURE AS LOW AS YOURSELF!" Scor promised, taking a step back, but he forgot that the waterfall was behind him, he lost his footing and he fell screaming into the turbulent waters below. Scarl, Shelia, Shaun, Decca, Sasha, Tony, Winston and Eve ran up to the edge, but there was no sign of Scor. "Is he gone?" Tony panted. "Let us hope so, for everyone's sake." Winston replied. "Dad? That wasn't true what he said was it? What he said about returning and killing everyone. You wouldn't let him do that to me or to anyone would you?" Decca asked, what Scor had said had really shaken him up and he hoped that he would never return. Scarl looked down at his youngest son "Listen, I failed you once, I let him destroy the pack, kill your mother and almost kill you. But I promise you now that so long as I live, I will not leave your side, nothing will ever hurt you again, I promise".

**later that day**

Kate sat alone on the ledge outside her parent's den, the fur around her eyes was stained with tears and her mind was clouded with regret as she thought about everything she had said to Decca. "if only I hadn't said any of those things, I could be the one marrying Decca. Instead I took all the stress of the stupid arranged marriage, of almost getting trampled by Caribou and of finding out he hadn't told us the complete truth, out on him and I've now lost him forever. Let's face it though, I could never be the mate he deserves, he's kind, gentle, loyal and caring and he needs someone who can pay all that back to him, someone who understands all he's been through, someone who can make him smile when he's sad, laugh when he's upset and who can comfort him when he's feeling down. I can't do any of that, after-all, I turned him away at every turn" she thought out loud. Kate continued staring at the view out across the valley until she heard a sound behind her, turning she noticed Decca sitting behind her. "hey" she greeted nervously. "Hey. Listen Kate, I've come to apologize" Decca replied. Kate was shocked, Decca shouldn't be the one apologizing, that should be her. "apologize? what for?" she asked incredulously, although she already suspected what the answer would be. "For keeping my life a secret. I hope that you can forgive me and that we can continue being friends." Decca replied. "Decca, I am such a fool, I made a huge mistake and only realized what I had lost when it was too late. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me, I was dumb, I was blind and I was stupid, you deserve better than that and I'm glad that you've finally found someone who can treat you with the respect you deserve. I would be more than grateful if you would continue to be friends with me, it's more than I deserve." Kate lamented, her eyes again becoming stained with tears, she meant every word. Kate closed her eyes, waiting for Decca to reject her as she had done to him at every turn, after-all, he had every right to. Instead she felt comforting paws drape themselves around her neck and she felt the warmth of Decca's fur against hers as he pulled her into a hug, then he started laughing. "What's so funny?" Kate asked, not daring to lift her gaze. "I finally got you to admit you were an idiot" Decca chuckled. "Does this mean I'm forgiven? Kate replied, her voice full of hope that the two of them could start afresh. Decca immediately stopped laughing and his tone changed to one of deadly seriousness "Kate, of course I forgive you. You are the best friend I could ask for and you have done so much for me. I know it's a long-shot and from experience I know that you probably won't want to come, but it would mean the world to me if you could be there at the ceremony, but as I said, I'll leave it up to you and I can understand if you don't want to come. I know that somewhere, there is the perfect wolf for you and I hope that you find him" Decca assured. "You'll really forgive me?" Kate sniffled. "Of course. Alphas, so emotional." Decca chuckled.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, sadly this is the end of this story, but for Decca and Sasha along with all the other Wolves of the combined packs it is just the beginning, they will return. I'm glad to see so many of you have enjoyed it and I'll see you guys in the sequel.

Every wolf in the Eastern and Weston packs were down near ceremonial rock waiting for the ceremony to begin, this time, everything would go off without a hitch. Decca stood beside his father near the ceremonial rock, he was nervously scouring the faces of the wolves around him, searching for any sign of a certain tan coloured she-wolf, although he knew there was a large chance that she probably wouldn't feel up to it. He had just about given up when he noticed Kate making her way down through the group of wolves, her golden brown fur shinning in the sunlight, Decca smiled nervously at her and Kate returned the smile then sat down at the front next to a wolf that she recognized as Decca's brother, what had Decca said his name was? Shaun?. As she sat down, he looked at her and for a moment Kate thought she was sitting next to Humphrey, as Shaun looked exactly like Decca did when he was disguised as Humphrey, albeit larger and stronger. He had the same messy grey fur and the same mesmerizing blue eyes. "Hey" she greeted, trying to strike up some form of conversation so that this wouldn't get awkward, she knew she probably wouldn't get a good response though after the way she had treated his brother. "Hey, so you must be Kate? Wow Decca wasn't lying about how pretty you look." Shaun replied causing Kate to blush, she really hadn't expected Shaun to say anything like that and she was flattered that Decca had said such nice things about her, even as she treated him like everyone else had done, like a mouldy old caribou carcass, then again, after knowing him for so long, she knew he wasn't the type to hold a grudge. Seeing Kate and Shaun talking happily together, Decca smiled, he could tell that they liked each other and was happy that both Kate and his Brother had found someone they could be happy with at last. "It never would have worked for us Kate. You need someone who can keep the promises they make to you." Decca thought to himself, he knew this was for the best, he loved Sasha more than anything, but he wouldn't give up the time he had spent in the Weston and Eastern packs with Kate, Lilly, Garth and his other friends for anything.

Decca was suddenly snapped out of his train of thought when Scarl nudged him, he turned around to see Sasha along with Lilly, Sheila and Eve making their way through the crowd of wolves who had parted to let them through. When Decca saw Sasha his mouth dropped open, he hadn't believed that Sasha could look any more beautiful than she did normally, but he was wrong, her fur which she usually wore over one eye (like Lilly) was brushed back revealing her deep violet eyes and it was held in place with the Lilly flower that Decca had found for her. Decca quickly regained his composure and stepped up onto the ceremonial rock and stood opposite Sasha. "Hey, wow, you look more beautiful than I could possibly have imagined!" Decca greeted. "Well, it's obvious that you don't know me as well as you thought. I'll admit you don't look too bad yourself, although you could improve by letting yourself get dragged through a berry bush" Sasha replied, as usual not missing an opportunity to tease Decca. The two of them then began the ritual, Decca closed his eyes and inhaled deeply breathing in Sasha's scent mixed with the smell of the Lilly, then he leaned forward and gently nibbled her ear as she did the same to him, he chuckled as it tickled slightly, and finally, they both closed there eyes and leaned forward so there muzzles touched, sealing the bond and confirming that they accepted their partner. Decca and Sasha stayed there for what seemed to them like an eternity before they finally broke contact among the cheers of the other wolves.

###### Later that day

######  It was just after sunset and all the wolves were making their way to howling rock for the moonlight howl. Decca Sasha, Shaun and Sheila were all walking together sharing jokes and stories about their adventures when suddenly they noticed Kate along with Lilly and Garth just up ahead of them. Decca noticed the look on Shaun's face, he could tell that his brother wanted to ask her to howl, but he was embarrassed in case she said no or he messed up the howl. "Hey bro why don't you ask her to howl with you" he suggested, nudging his older brother. "y..y..you think I should?" Shaun stuttered, still unsure about this. "Sure, I saw the look both of you had in your eyes when you met at the ceremony. Kate has a crush on you as well and take it from someone who knows, you do not want to let a chance like this escape from you or you'll regret it forever." Decca encouraged. Shaun ran off up ahead to catch up with Kate, the others watched as he walked up to her nervously, before asking her to howl with him, from the way he jumped about excitedly, they assumed that she had said yes. "you know I hope it works out all right for them" Sasha said. "I hope so too. We better get going before all the best spots are taken" Decca replied motioning towards the path that led further up the howling rock. Decca and Sasha chose a spot close to where Garth and Lilly along with Kate and Shaun were singing a beautiful chorus together, they watched them for a few minutes before raising their own muzzles to the sky and joined in. Meanwhile, Tony, Winston and Scarl were watching over the happy packs. "you know, I think this marks the beginning of a new age, to think we were so close to war not so long ago" Winston commented. "I'm just glad that we finally have some peace around here, let us hope for our children and theirs that it remains that way" Tony replied. 

###### Time skip one hour

######  it was getting late and by now quite a few wolves had stopped howling, however some would usually continue till dawn. Sasha and Decca however were tired after the events over the past few days, Sasha followed Decca up to his den and once there both curled up together as they had done when they were pups and fell asleep, happy to be together at last. They had been through hell and back to be with each-other and now they promised to always remain at the other's side.

**Author's Note:**

> Please review/follow/favourite this story. Also check out my other stories under xXShadowTheWolfXx on Fanfiction.net. Thanks, this is DeccaTheWolf Signing off


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